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. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simulacrum) 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](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/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](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simultaneous), [simile](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simile), and of course [similarity](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/similarity).