im·i·ta·tion
ˌi-mə-ˈtā-shən 
1
: an act or instance of imitating
2
: something produced as a copy : counterfeit
3
: a literary work designed to reproduce the style of another author
4
: the repetition by one voice of a melody, phrase, or motive stated earlier in the composition by a different voice
5
: the quality of an object in possessing some of the nature or attributes of a transcendent idea
6
: the assumption of behavior observed in other individuals
: resembling something else that is usually genuine and of better quality : not real
imitation leather
Synonyms
Noun
- carbon
- carbon copy
- clone
- copy
- dummy
- dupe
- duplicate
- duplication
- facsimile
- mock
- reduplication
- replica
- replication
- reproduction
Adjective
Examples of imitation in a Sentence
Noun
Children learn by imitation of adults.
The restaurant was designed in imitation of a Japanese temple.
He did a hilarious imitation of his father.
The real diamonds are in a museum. These are just imitations.
Adjective
the stage production uses only imitation diamonds, as real gems would be prohibitively expensive
Recent Examples on the Web
Edmon Begoli, IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2024
Get the salmon Dragon Roll that’s just lovely, topped with Norwegian salmon and avocado, rolled with imitation crab and cucumber.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for imitation 
Noun
As Turing noted in his paper, the imitation game does an excellent job of testing if a computer can imitate the language-generation process, but the relationship between imitating language and thinking is still an open question.
—Edmon Begoli, IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2024
Get the salmon Dragon Roll that’s just lovely, topped with Norwegian salmon and avocado, rolled with imitation crab and cucumber.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for imitation
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imitation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Imitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imitation. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
imitation
1 of 2 noun
im·i·ta·tion
ˌim-ə-ˈtā-shən
1
: an act of imitating
2
: something produced as a copy
imitation
2 of 2 adjective
: resembling something else especially of better quality
imitation pearls
imitation leather
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