copycat
copycat Lexical Profile
copycat Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who imitates or adopts the behavior, clothing, or ideas of another, lacks originality.
"The young designer was accused of being a copycat after releasing a collection that closely resembled a rival's work."
• adjective
Done in exact imitation of a previous action, product, or event, especially a publicized crime.
"Investigators quickly determined that the vandalism was a copycat incident inspired by recent news reports."
• verb
To imitate the behavior, style, or actions of another person or organization closely.
"Several smaller tech startups tried to copycat the industry leader's subscription model."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in late 19th-century American English (first recorded in Maine around 1887), the compound combines "copy" with "cat"—likely inspired by children's rhymes and the perception of cats as observant creatures—and was popularized in the 1980s in criminology to describe "copycat crimes."