simulacrum
noun
sim·u·la·crum
ˌsim-yə-ˈla-krəm 
-ˈlā-
plural simulacra
ˌsim-yə-ˈla-krə
-ˈlā-
also simulacrums
1
: image, representation
… a reasonable simulacrum of reality …—
Martin Mayer
Martin Mayer2
: an insubstantial form or semblance of something : trace
Did you know?
There is more than a crumb of similarity between simulacrum and simulate: both words come from simulāre, a Latin verb meaning "to pretend, produce a fraudulent imitation of, imitate." At the root of simulāre is the Latin adjective similis, which means "having characteristics in common." Many "similar" words trace back to similis, hence the resemblance between simulacrum and familiar terms like simultaneous, simile, and of course similarity.
Examples of simulacrum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An airport offers, if not exactly an equitable experience (there are Clear lines, lounge archipelagos), then at least a perceptible simulacrum of equality, in that everyone rides the same people movers past the same Cinnabons.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Taking a 2 1/2 hour flight to another country, only to spend all your time in the tiny simulacrum of your home in that other country.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2026
Not a simulacrum of his real body, of course.
—Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
Greenidge also looks forward here to what is very much the most drastic of the post-COVID issues born of that time — the coming of artificial intelligence as a means for solving our problems, and what is looking more and more like a blurring of reality and simulacra.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
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Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Taking a 2 1/2 hour flight to another country, only to spend all your time in the tiny simulacrum of your home in that other country.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2026
Not a simulacrum of his real body, of course.
—Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
Greenidge also looks forward here to what is very much the most drastic of the post-COVID issues born of that time — the coming of artificial intelligence as a means for solving our problems, and what is looking more and more like a blurring of reality and simulacra.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for simulacrum
Cite this Entry
“Simulacrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simulacrum. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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