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Glite Dictionary
apish

apish

1 9.1
Copying someone in a silly or too eager way
  • adjective
  • /ˈeɪpɪʃ/
  • Offensive
translation icon : simiesco (despectivo)
  • His apish behavior during the meeting was embarrassing to his colleagues.

Examples

  • The movie featured an apish character who mimicked the actions of others for comic effect.

  • And know not how their wits to wear are their manners so apish.

    King Lear (1988)

  • Before that time, large primates were apish forest dwellers that shared their leafy refuges with ancestral antelopes.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The comedian often used apish expressions to make the audience laugh.

Synonyms

apelike
vsapish
  • Offensive
1 7.3

Copying others exactly with no own ideas

is harsher, implying foolishness rather than mere lack of originality

How Imitative

apish
  • Offensive
1 9.1
derivative
26 7.2
imitative
2 4.6

Surface Forms

apish positive

Morphology

apish = ape (transparent) = ape + ish

The adjective is a straightforward formation from 'ape' + '-ish', meaning 'resembling or characteristic of an ape', which learners can predict from the components.

Etymology

Apish comes from ape and the ending -ish, which means 'like', just like the verb ape meaning 'to copy'. So, apish describes someone who copies others in a silly or too eager way.