ersatz
/'eəzæts/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Artificial and inferior: Used to describe something that is made as a substitute for a genuine article, typically of lower quality.
- Not genuine; synthetic: Refers to an imitation that is meant to replace the real thing.
Noun:
- An artificial or inferior substitute or imitation: A product or item that serves as a replacement for the original but is considered less authentic or of poorer quality.
Examples of Usage
Adjective:
- During the war, people had to drink ersatz coffee made from roasted grains.
- The ersatz leather on the sofa began to peel after just a few months.
Noun:
- This sweetener is just an ersatz for real sugar.
- The painting was a clever ersatz, fooling many unsuspecting buyers.
Advanced Usage
- Used to convey a sense of disappointment or criticism regarding the lack of authenticity.
- The ersatz enthusiasm from the crowd did little to motivate the team.
- Often implies a historical or situational context of scarcity where substitutes were necessary.
- The museum displayed ersatz products from the wartime economy.
Variants and Related Words
- Substitute (n/adj): A person or thing that takes the place of another. (Neutral connotation, unlike the often negative 'ersatz'.)
- Imitation (n/adj): A copy or simulation. (Can be neutral or negative depending on context.)
- Synthetic (adj): Produced by chemical synthesis, especially to imitate a natural product.
Synonyms
- Artificial
- Fake
- Counterfeit (stronger, implies intent to deceive)
- Simulated
Related Phrases and Idioms
- Ersatz version: A common collocation emphasizing the substitute nature of an item.
- They released an ersatz version of the classic car, which lacked the original's power.
- While not a phrasal verb, the term is frequently used attributively (before a noun) as an adjective (e.g., ersatz butter, ersatz emotion).
Adjective
- artificial and inferior
- ersatz coffee
- substitute coffee
Noun
- an artificial or inferior substitute or imitation