🦧 Like an ape 🙈 Imitating others

apelike

1 7.3

Copying others exactly with no own ideas

adjective
/ˈeɪpˌlaɪk/

Offensive

: [OFENSIVO] parecido a un mono

She found his apelike behavior irritating, as he imitated others instead of being himself.

Examples

These histrionics were probably empty posturing, as was the way with our apelike progenitors, a form of one-upmanship.

Fiction book (1991)
The child copied his friend's movements in an apelike manner, causing everyone to laugh.
I, on the other hand, am apelike, nothing but upper torso.

Fiction book (1994)
His apelike mannerisms during the presentation made it hard to take him seriously.

Synonyms

apish

vsapelike

Offensive

1 9.1

Copying someone in a silly or too eager way

is focused on copying without originality rather than on foolishness

Antonyms

original

250 3.6

New and different, not copied from others

innovative

165 5.5

Having new ideas or methods to do things better

How Imitative

apelike

Offensive

1 7.3

derivative

26 7.2

imitative

2 4.6

Surface Forms

apelike positive

Morphology

apelike = ape (semi-transparent) = ape + like

Formed from 'ape' + '-like', but the specific figurative/pejorative sense 'imitating others in a servile or unoriginal manner' is a behavioral extension that may not be fully inferable to all learners.

Etymology

Apelike comes from ape (the animal) and the ending -like meaning 'similar to'. Because English also uses ape as a verb meaning 'to copy', apelike can also mean copying others in a simple or not original way.