1
as in imitation
using or marked by the use of something else as a basis or model
your writing style tends to be imitative of whichever author you've recently read
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2
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
an imitative extract never has the flavor of the real thing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imitative
Girard drew from his early-career studies of literary figures such as Proust the insight that desire is essentially imitative (or mimetic) rather than straightforwardly directed toward its apparent objects.
—
Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
Mae’s life aligns with the repetitive, imitative work of Warhol, showing us that the story of growing into an adult — becoming a woman — is a story of aesthetic creation.
—Bekah Waalkes, Washington Post, 10 July 2023
The crowded true-crime space tends to be an imitative one—a quality that can work in victims’ favor, as with this docuseries, which builds on the empathy-building of its predecessors.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
The mystery account behind the AI song, identifying as Ghostwriter, left no clues about how the imitative track was brought into being, or what information was fed into programs to create it.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for imitative 
Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
Mae’s life aligns with the repetitive, imitative work of Warhol, showing us that the story of growing into an adult — becoming a woman — is a story of aesthetic creation.
—Bekah Waalkes, Washington Post, 10 July 2023
The crowded true-crime space tends to be an imitative one—a quality that can work in victims’ favor, as with this docuseries, which builds on the empathy-building of its predecessors.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
The mystery account behind the AI song, identifying as Ghostwriter, left no clues about how the imitative track was brought into being, or what information was fed into programs to create it.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for imitative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imitative
Adjective
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Drug overdose deaths, largely caused by the synthetic opioid drug fentanyl, reached record highs in the United States in 2021.—
Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton,
New York Times,
16 Feb. 2025
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Drug traffickers mix fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic that is 10 times more powerful than other opioids, with other illicit drugs in an effort to drive addiction and attract repeat buyers, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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My heroes are all chameleonic actors who transform and manage to transcend something simply mimetic.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
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The mimetic principles already outlined in Vitruvius (primarily the idea that the classical orders imitate the structure of a primitive wooden construction) were, from the start, fig leaves, and widely understood as such.—
Mario Carpo,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Bertrand wore an oversize faux fur coat and a green gradient suit jacket from KidSuper.—
Mikelle Street,
WWD,
14 Feb. 2025
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The Koolaburra Ugg Milos resemble other Ugg slippers on our list with the soft suede upper and faux fur lining.—
Chaunie Brusie, RN,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Today’s leaders should adopt a similar formulaic mindset: Long-term growth comes from re-investing in their organization and in their people to continue building skills, expanding knowledge across their enterprise, and, with the rise in technology, increasing tech fluency.—
Muqsit Ashraf,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
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This goes beyond formulaic capsule wardrobe dressing, and instead, relies on individuality and preferences.—
Cortne Bonilla,
Vogue,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In the simulated scenario, a fictional freight train carrying hazardous materials through a crowded area derails in a fiery explosion, burning or otherwise injuring 800 people.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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Whereas rigorous lab testing has measured how materials and structural systems hold up against shaking in simulated earthquakes and strong winds for hurricanes, the same can’t yet be said for wildfires, according to Fischer.—
Denise Chow,
NBC News,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The response was made all the more pronounced by Lively’s mock shock look at her husband.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
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Thomas leapt out of his judges’ chair and mock knelt in front of Carter.—
Marcus Thompson II,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The house with six bedrooms and 6 ½ bathrooms has a theater, two bars, a garage with A/C that allows for stacking cars, an exercise room next to the primary suite, a glass-tiled pool, a 700-bottle wine wall, a steam shower, four washers and dryers, artificial turf and a putting green.—
Catherine Reagor,
The Arizona Republic,
16 Feb. 2025
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China is also building the world’s largest artificial island airport, Dalian Jinzhou Bay International off the country’s northeast coast.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That is, the mimic leaves were longer, and less lobed.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2024
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Sting is also a mimic, able to copy Charlotte’s whistle, even though, as the slightly creepy would-be scientist living upstairs tells her, spiders don’t have vocal cords.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
The Arizona Republic,
11 Apr. 2024
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Thesaurus Entries Near imitative
Cite this Entry
“Imitative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imitative. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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