apery

/'eipəri/

Thân thiện

A child engages in playful apery by copying her friend's dance moves.

Definition

Noun: 1. The act or practice of mimicking or imitating, especially in a servile, foolish, or exaggerated manner. It refers to behavior that copies someone or something else, often without understanding or in a way that seems ridiculous. 2. An instance of such imitation; a mimicry. A specific act or performance of copying.

Usage

• Apery is a formal and somewhat literary word. It is most often used to describe imitation that is considered unthinking, slavish, or absurdly exaggerated, rather than skillful or flattering mimicry.
• It can be used as a non-count noun to describe the general practice or as a count noun for specific instances.

Examples

• His constant apery of the manager's speech patterns annoyed his colleagues.
• The political cartoon was a brilliant satire, not mere apery.
• The child's apery of the teacher was more amusing than disrespectful.
• She grew tired of the mindless apery of fashion trends.

Advanced Usage

• The term can carry a critical or derogatory connotation, implying a lack of originality or intelligence in the imitation.
• It is sometimes used in biological or zoological contexts to discuss mimicry in animals, though "mimicry" is the more common term.

Variants and Related Words

• Ape (verb): To imitate or mimic, often in a clumsy or thoughtless way.
  • He aped the gestures of the famous actor.
• Mimicry (noun): The more common and neutral term for the act of imitating. It can be skillful (like a comedian's mimicry) or biological (protective mimicry in insects).

Synonyms

• Imitation
• Mimicry
• Copying
• Parroting
• Simulation

Antonyms

• Originality
• Innovation
• Authenticity

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To play the ape: An older phrase meaning to mimic or act foolishly.
  • He was just playing the ape to get a laugh from the crowd.

Học thuật

Noun

1. the act of mimicking; imitative behavior

Từ đồng nghĩa

• mimicry