imitative
adjective
im·i·ta·tive ˈi-mə-ˌtā-tiv 
especially British -tə-tiv
1
a
: marked by imitation
acting is an imitative art
b
: reproducing or representing a natural sound : onomatopoeic
"hiss" is an imitative word
c
: exhibiting mimicry
2
: inclined to imitate
3
: imitating something superior : counterfeit
imitatively adverb
imitativeness noun
Synonyms
- apish
- canned
- emulative
- epigonic
- epigonous
- formulaic
- mimetic
- mimic
- slavish
- unoriginal
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The architecture is imitative of a Japanese temple. your writing style tends to be imitative of whichever author you've recently read
Recent Examples on the Web Late Mozart reveals Bach’s influence, and the brief but vital episodes of imitative counterpoint in the first movement were rendered with clarity and momentum. 
Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2022 Our children see this, and learn to imitate it; for man is an imitative animal. Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 8 June 2022 In other words, this vehicle for producer-star Rebel Wilson isn’t organic even as a genre homage; its Frankensteinian assemblage always feels more imitative than inspired. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 May 2022 The imitative relationship between life and art is at the core of Small’s recovery, though in a more literal way. Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2022 But those efforts, like so many film adaptations before them, distill essentially only the basic ingredients of their stage sources — plot, character, music — and as a result feel more imitative than transformative. Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2022 So central to our culture and so often mocked — made the emblem of television at its least imaginative and most imitative, at its tritest and tiredest. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2021 The consequences for Black communities of this imitative gesture were devastating. Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, 2 Mar. 2021 Her singing sounds very much like Holiday but retains its own personality, rather than feeling imitative. Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune, 25 Feb. 2021 See More
Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2022 Our children see this, and learn to imitate it; for man is an imitative animal. Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 8 June 2022 In other words, this vehicle for producer-star Rebel Wilson isn’t organic even as a genre homage; its Frankensteinian assemblage always feels more imitative than inspired. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 May 2022 The imitative relationship between life and art is at the core of Small’s recovery, though in a more literal way. Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2022 But those efforts, like so many film adaptations before them, distill essentially only the basic ingredients of their stage sources — plot, character, music — and as a result feel more imitative than transformative. Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2022 So central to our culture and so often mocked — made the emblem of television at its least imaginative and most imitative, at its tritest and tiredest. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2021 The consequences for Black communities of this imitative gesture were devastating. Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, 2 Mar. 2021 Her singing sounds very much like Holiday but retains its own personality, rather than feeling imitative. Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune, 25 Feb. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Late Latin imitātīvus, from Latin imitātus, past participle of imitārī "to follow as a pattern, imitate" + -īvus -ive
First Known Use
1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
imitative
adjective
im·i·ta·tive ˈi-mə-ˌtā-tiv
: made or done to be like something or someone else
imitative sounds
imitative
adjective
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- imitation
- emulative
- mimetic
- copied
- mimic
- formulaic
- unoriginal
- mock
- apish
- slavish
- deceptive
- misleading
- false
- fraudulent
- canned
- synthetic
- artificial
- counterfeit
- reproduced
- epigonic
- simulated
- plagiarized
- factitious
- epigonous
- duplicated
- fake
- substitute
- reduplicated
- cribbed
- bogus
- sham
- forged
- transcribed
- uninspired
- routine
- perfunctory
- photocopied
- backup
- man-made
- cut-and-dry
- cut-and-dried
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- original
- authentic
- natural
- legitimate
- archetypal
- true
- genuine
- archetypical
- real
- bona fide
- classic
- model
- ideal
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- synthetic
- imitation
- faux
- artificial
- simulated
- fake
- dummy
- false
- mock
- mimic
- factitious
- manufactured
- ersatz
- substitute
- counterfeit
- pretend
- bogus
- designer
- process
- sham
- man-made
- deceptive
- manipulated
- cultured
- engineered
- fabricated
- forged
- pseudo
- adulterated
- unauthentic
- fraudulent
- misleading
- concocted
- doctored
- spurious
- phony
- affected
- feigned
- juggled
- phoney
- pinchbeck
- fudged
- tampered (with)
- brummagem
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- natural
- genuine
- real
- authentic
- legitimate
- true
- pure
- bona fide
- valuable
- quality
- unadulterated
- premium