Standard Lemma guide

imitator

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH1 M AH0 T EY2 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who imitates or apes another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aper

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who copies the words or behavior of another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: copycat, emulator, ape, aper

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

Narrower terms: epigone, epigon, parrot

3

noun

Meaning 3

someone who (fraudulently) assumes the appearance of another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: impersonator

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: deceiver, cheat, cheater, trickster, beguiler, slicker

Narrower terms: mimic, mimicker

History

Etymology

From French imitateur, derived from Latin imitātor, equivalent to imitate + -or.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: imitador — one who imitates another
  • Central Bikol: arog-arog — one who imitates another
  • Dutch: imitator — one who imitates another
  • Esperanto: imitanto — one who imitates another
  • Finnish: matkija — one who imitates another
  • French: imitateur — one who imitates another
  • German: Nachahmer — one who imitates another
  • German: Nachahmerin — one who imitates another
  • German: Epigone — one who imitates another
  • German: Epigonin — one who imitates another
  • German: Nachäffer — one who imitates another
  • German: Nachäfferin — one who imitates another
  • German: Nachbeter (t-, de, Nachbeterin) — one who imitates another
  • German: Nachsprecher — one who imitates another
  • German: Nachsprecherin — one who imitates another
  • German: Papagei — one who imitates another
  • German: Papageiin — one who imitates another
  • German: Echo — one who imitates another
  • Greek: μιμητής (mimitís) — one who imitates another
  • Ancient Greek: μιμητής (mimētḗs) — one who imitates another
  • Hungarian: utánzó — one who imitates another
  • Hungarian: majmoló — one who imitates another
  • Hungarian: epigon — one who imitates another
  • Hungarian: imitátor — one who imitates another
  • Indonesian: peniru — one who imitates another
  • Irish: aithriseoir — one who imitates another
  • Italian: imitatore — one who imitates another
  • Japanese: 模倣者 (mohōsha) — one who imitates another
  • Japanese: 亜流 (aryū) — one who imitates another
  • Korean: 모방자 (mobangja) — one who imitates another
  • Latin: imitātor — one who imitates another
  • Latin: imitātrix — one who imitates another
  • Latin: simulātor — one who imitates another
  • Norwegian Bokmål: imitator — one who imitates another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: imitator — one who imitates another
  • Polish: imitator — one who imitates another
  • Polish: imitatorka — one who imitates another
  • Polish: naśladowca — one who imitates another
  • Polish: naśladowczyni — one who imitates another
  • Russian: имита́тор (imitátor) — one who imitates another
  • Russian: подража́тель (podražátelʹ) — one who imitates another
  • Spanish: imitador — one who imitates another
  • Swedish: imitatör — one who imitates another
Real reading context

imitator in complete knowledge articles