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.
Australian, Canada, UK, US:/ˈmɪm.ɪ.kɹi/
Australian, Canada, UK, US:/ˈmɪm.ɪ.kɹɪ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:M IH1 M IH0 K R IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An act or ability to simulate or effect the appearance, characteristics, or behavior of someone or something else.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
They say that mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery, but I still think I'm being mocked when he acts just like me.
When animal mimicry goes really wrong they don't just look like something that a predator would ignore, they look like lunch.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
the act of mimicking; imitative behavior
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: apery
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: impersonation, personation
Narrower terms: parody, mockery, takeoff
3
noun
Meaning 3
the resemblance of an animal species to another species or to natural objects; provides concealment and protection from predators
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: imitation
History
Etymology
From mimic + -ry.
Across languages
Translations
52 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
مُشَاكهَة
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Bulgarian:
мимикрия
(mimikrija)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Catalan:
mimetisme
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Chinese Mandarin:
擬態 /拟态
(nǐtài)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Chinese Mandarin:
模仿
(mófǎng)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Czech:
mimikry
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Esperanto:
kamuflimito
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Finnish:
mimiikka
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Finnish:
jäljittely
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
French:
mimétisme
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
French:
mimique
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
German:
Mimikry
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
German:
Nachahmung
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Greek:
μιμητισμός
(mimitismós)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Hebrew:
חיקוי
(khikúy)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Hebrew:
חקיינות
(khakyanút)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Hindi:
अनुकरण
(anukraṇ)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Hungarian:
mimikri
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Irish:
aithriseoireacht
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Irish:
athmhagadh
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Italian:
mimetismo
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Italian:
scimmiottatura
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Italian:
scimmiottamento
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Italian:
mimica
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Italian:
mimetizzazione
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Japanese:
擬態
(gitai)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Kazakh:
қорғаныш рең
(qorğanyş reñ)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Khmer:
ការធ្វើត្រាប់តាម
(kaa thvəə trap taam)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Korean:
흉내
(hyungnae)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Korean:
입내
(imnae)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Latin:
mīmica
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Latin:
mīmētismus
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Lithuanian:
mimikrija
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Malayalam:
മിമിക്രി
(mimikri)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Malayalam:
ശബ്ദാനുകരണം
(śabdānukaraṇaṁ)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Persian:
میمیک
(mimik)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Persian:
وانمایی
(vānemāyi)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Polish:
naśladownictwo
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Portuguese:
mímica
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Portuguese:
mimetismo
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Romanian:
mimetism
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Russian:
подража́ние
(podražánije)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Russian:
мими́крия
(mimíkrija)
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Spanish:
mimetismo
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Spanish:
mimetización
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Spanish:
remedo
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Spanish:
arrendajo
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Swedish:
mimikry
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Tagalog:
gagad
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Turkish:
öyküntü
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Turkish:
taklit
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else
Vietnamese:
sự bắt chước
— the act or ability to simulate the characteristics of someone or something else