imitation

[im-i-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. a result or product of imitating.

2. the act of imitating.

3. a counterfeit; copy.

4. a literary composition that imitates the manner or subject of another author or work.

5. Biology.,  mimicry.

6. Psychology.,  the performance of an act whose stimulus is the observation of the act performed by another person.

7. Sociology.,  the copying of patterns of activity and thought of other groups or individuals.

8. Art.

   1. (in Aristotelian aesthetics) the representation of an object or an action as it ought to be.

   2. the representation of actuality in art or literature.

9. Music.,  the repetition of a melodic phrase at a different pitch or key from the original or in a different voice part.

adjective

1. designed to imitate a genuine or superior article or thing.

   imitation leather.

2. Jewelry.,  noting an artificial gem no part of which is of the true gemstone.

imitation

/ ˌɪmɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act, practice, or art of imitating; mimicry

2. an instance or product of imitating, such as a copy of the manner of a person; impression

3. 1. a copy or reproduction of a genuine article; counterfeit

   2. ( as modifier )

      imitation jewellery

4. (in contrapuntal or polyphonic music) the repetition of a phrase or figure in one part after its appearance in another, as in a fugue

5. a literary composition that adapts the style of an older work to the writer's own purposes

Other Word Forms

• imitational adjective
• nonimitational adjective
• overimitation noun
• preimitation noun
• self-imitation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of imitation¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin imitātiōn- (stem of imitātiō ). See imitate, -ion

Example Sentences

These imitations can come in flat-packs, be inflatable, 2D or create a radar illusion of a tank by reflecting radio waves in a special way.

From BBC

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm, the Metropolitan Police has said.

From BBC

Police Scotland launched an investigation in the summer of 2023 after a social media photo of Winter at school wearing combat gear and carrying an imitation gun caused panic among pupils and parents.

From BBC

It’s nutty and crystalline, aged for years in northern Italy and legally protected from imitation, down to the cows’ diet and the wheels’ signature rind stamp.

From Salon

Globally, however, there is no binding law that stops other countries or brands from aesthetic imitation.

From BBC

Related Words

• clone 
• impersonation 
• impression 
• mimicry 
• parody 
• reflection 
• replica 
• reproduction