simulacrum
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day
Merriam-Webster
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🗓️ 9 July 2025
⏱️ 2 minutes
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Summary
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 9, 2025 is:
simulacrum • \sim-yuh-LAK-rum\ • noun
A simulacrum is a superficial likeness of something, usually as an imitation, copy, or representation. The plural of simulacrum is either simulacrums or simulacra.
// The surprise still succeeded, thanks to the simulacrum of confusion expressed by two guests when they were spotted before the big moment.
Examples:
"Under the lid, there are no strings to move the air, but rather speakers that create an uncanny simulacrum of a grand piano." — Robert Ross, Robb Report, 17 July 2024
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.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's the Word of the Day podcast for July 9th. |
| 0:12.0 | Today's word is simulacrum, spelled S-I-M-U-L-A-C-R-U-M. |
| 0:19.4 | Simulacrum is a noun. |
| 0:25.2 | A simulacrum is a superficial likeness of something, usually as an imitation, copy, or representation. The plural of simulacrum is either simulacrums or simulacra. |
| 0:33.3 | Here's the word used. In a sentence from the Rob Report by Robert Ross. |
| 0:38.7 | Under the lid, there are no strings to move the air, but rather speakers that create an uncanny simulacrum of a grand piano. |
| 0:46.9 | There is more than a crumb of similarity between the words simulacrum and simulate. |
| 0:52.9 | Both words come from simulare, a Latin verb meaning to pretend, |
| 0:57.7 | produce a fraudulent imitation of, imitate. At the root of simulare is the Latin adjective similes, |
| 1:05.4 | which means having characteristics in common. Many similar words trace back to similes, hence the resemblance between simulacrum |
| 1:14.1 | and familiar terms like simultaneous, simile, and of course similarity. With your word of the day, |
| 1:21.2 | I'm Peter Sakalowski. |
| 1:26.7 | Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups. |
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