IMITATIVE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Imitative

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/ˈɪmətˌeɪtɪv/ Listen

adjective

Imitative adj.

Inclined to imitate, copy, or follow; imitating; exhibiting some of the qualities or characteristics of a pattern or model; dependent on example; not original; as, man is an imitative being; painting is an imitative art.

Formed after a model, pattern, or original. "This temple, less in form, with equal grace, Was imitative of the first in Thrace."

(Nat. Hist.) Designed to imitate another species of animal, or a plant, or inanimate object, for some useful purpose, such as protection from enemies; having resemblance to something else; as, imitative colors; imitative habits; dendritic and mammillary forms of minerals are imitative.

noun

Imitative n. (Gram.) A verb expressive of imitation or resemblance. (R.)

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Etymology of 'Imitative'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Imitative" Quotes from Famous Books

... look of being tiptoe with revelation which is one of the most fascinating tricks of the visible world, and which even a harsh town full of chimneys can sometimes take on when seen in given moments and lights. And it was astonishing to see into what lifeless imitative verse his most original and passionate moments could ...

— Young Lives • Richard Le Gallienne

... means "sessions," (probably the Italian conversazione best translates it,) but is applied to a series of short narratives, or rather anecdotes, told alternately in verse and rhymed prose, with all the brilliance of rhetoric, the richness of alliteration, antithesis, and imitative sound, and the endless grammatical subtilties of which the Arabic language is capable. The work of Hariri is considered the unapproachable model of this style of narrative throughout all the East. Rueckert called his translation "The Metamorphoses of Abou-Seyd of Serudj,"—the name of ...

— The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 105, July 1866 • Various

... imitative immediately immigration impromptu imminent incidentally incidents incredulous independence indispensable induce influence infinite instance instant intellectual intelligence intentionally intercede irresistible its it's ...

— The Century Handbook of Writing • Garland Greever

... standing army the soldiery of which wore uniforms, underwent regular drill, obeyed words of command, and carried arms of precision. He had devoted great pains to the manufacture of a formidable artillery, and what with presents from the British Government and the imitative skill of native artificers he was possessed at the outbreak of hostilities of several hundred cannon. His artisans were skillful enough to turn out in large numbers very fair rifled small-arms, which they copied from British models; and in the Balla Hissar ...

— The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80 • Archibald Forbes

... day, his ears were assailed by the tremulous bleating of the fawn, the hoarse gobbling of the turkey, and the peculiar sounds of other wild animals. Familiar with the deceptive artifices, practised to allure game to the hunter, he was quickly alive to the fact, that they were the imitative cries of savages in quest of provisions. Sensible of his situation, he became vigilant to discover the approach of danger, and active in avoiding it. Several times however, with all his wariness, he found himself within a few paces ...

— Chronicles of Border Warfare • Alexander Scott Withers

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