Meaning & use
mimicry
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Meanings
noununcountable
The act of copying the way someone speaks or behaves, often to entertain or to make fun of them.
Grammar: Uncountable: no plural; say 'a piece of mimicry' if you need to count.
Patterns
- mimicry of someone
- do an impression through mimicry
Her mimicry of the teacher's accent had the whole class laughing.
He is famous for his mimicry of politicians and celebrities.
The comedy show relies on clever mimicry rather than jokes.
noununcountablebiology
In biology, the way one species evolves to look or sound like another species or a natural object, gaining protection or advantage.
Grammar: Uncountable; common in biology texts and nature documentaries.
Patterns
- mimicry of a dangerous species
- evolve mimicry
- Batesian mimicry
The harmless hoverfly's yellow stripes are a form of mimicry that scares off predators.
Scientists study mimicry to understand how species adapt to their environment.
Butterfly mimicry can involve looking like a toxic species.
Common combinations
- perfect mimicry
- The parrot's perfect mimicry of the doorbell fooled everyone.
- mimicry of
- His mimicry of his boss was a bit too accurate.
- a form of mimicry
- Camouflage is a form of mimicry that helps animals hide.
- study mimicry
- Biologists study mimicry in tropical insects.
Synonyms and how they differ
- imitation
- Imitation is the general word for copying; mimicry often suggests a deliberate, sometimes mocking or entertaining, copy.
- impersonation
- Impersonation usually means pretending to be a specific person, often for deception; mimicry can be just of a style or sound.
- camouflage
- Camouflage is blending in with the background; mimicry is looking like a different species or object.
Word family
Commonly confused: mimicry or mimic? mimicry or memorization?
mimicry vs mimic
Mimic is the verb or the person; mimicry is the act or phenomenon.
mimicry vs memorization
Memorization is learning something by heart; mimicry is copying behavior or appearance.
Practice
The harmless butterfly's resemblance to a poisonous one is an example of ______.
Choose one answer.
The noun 'mimicry' fits after 'of' as the name of the phenomenon. 'Mimic' is a verb or a person, 'mimicked' is past tense, and 'mimicking' is a participle, none of which fit the noun slot here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mimicry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.