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Glite Dictionary
🧪 To imitate 🗣️ To copy behavior 🎭 To pretend
to simulate

to simulate

20 6.7
Pretend to have a feeling to trick people
  • verb
  • /ˈsɪmjʊˌleɪt/
translation icon : fingir
  • I'm here to test if you have a consciousness, or if you're just simulating one.

And then he knew of their use and simulating alien abductions that were being done by the CIA and military.

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Examples

  • Because the computer only simulates having a mind of its own.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Teachers can simulate job-hunting situations that would require their students to use their job-seeking skills.

    Academic text (1991)

  • And my point is, what if they could simulate being seen?

  • I can simulate that with this.

  • We want them to see the insights, understand the story and feel the implication of the story and simulate a response.

  • On reconstructs training courses, workers have to face actors who simulate challenging situations.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The students played while they role-played and simulated a travel experience in their classroom.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Participants were instructed to try to simulate the rhythmical movement of a pendulum.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Then, yawning and simulating hunger, I called for my evening meal.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • During the training exercise, the soldiers had to simulate an attack to prepare for real-life scenarios.

Synonyms

to pretend
vsto simulate
∞ 2.3

To act as if something is true when it is not

is used mainly for deceptive pretending of feelings or qualities
to feign
vsto simulate
40 7.2

Pretend to feel something, like surprise or interest, to trick other people

has identical meaning and no practical difference in intent or use
to make out
vsto simulate
  • Informal
27 6.0

To pretend or claim something is true when it is not

is more about feigning internal feelings or qualities than asserting facts
to act as
vsto simulate
25 3.4

Pretend to have qualities or feelings you do not have

is narrower, centering on deceptive showing of inner feelings or qualities
to make believe
vsto simulate
17 3.8

Pretend something is real for fun or play

is aimed at deceiving others rather than playful or imaginary acting
to assume
vsto simulate
11 5.0

Pretend to have a quality or feeling

is about pretending chiefly to deceive rather than merely adopting an appearance
to spoof
vsto simulate
3 6.0

Pretend to be a person or website online to trick people

targets pretending of inner states rather than imitation for tricking objects
to sham
vsto simulate
1 6.4

To pretend to be or feel something to trick people

focuses more on faking inner feelings or qualities rather than objects

How Convincing

to sham
1 6.4
to simulate
20 6.7
to feign
40 7.2
to act
∞ 1.0
to pretend
∞ 2.3

Surface Forms

simulate infinitive
simulated past
simulated past participle
simulating present participle
simulates third person singular

Morphology

simulate = simul + ate

The verb is formed from the combining form 'simul' + the verb-forming suffix '-ate', but 'simul' is not a standalone English word, so the relation is not transparently derivable for an average learner.

Etymology

Simulate comes from the old Latin simulare, from similis 'like', and it originally meant 'to copy or pretend'. So to simulate an emotion is to act 'like' you feel it, often to trick other people.