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parrotlike

parrotlike

7.9
Repeated exactly without thinking, like a parrot
  • adjective
  • /ˈpærətˌlaɪk/
translation icon : imitativo
  • His comments were parrotlike, repeating phrases he had heard without any real understanding of their meaning.

Examples

  • But what can we expect from a philosophy that rests on a parrotlike repetition of our first dearest word, "mine."

    Blog text (16)
  • When she spoke, her tone was parrotlike, echoing the words of others as if she had never formed her own opinions.

  • The students gave parrotlike responses during the discussion, merely mimicking what their teacher had said.

Synonyms

echolalic
vsparrotlike
  • Specialized
9.9

Repeating another person's words when talking, without meaning to

is a mechanical repeat performed without understanding or thought
robotlike
vsparrotlike
6.8

Acting like a machine without feeling or choice

involves mindless copying or verbal repetition rather than general mechanical behaviour

Antonyms

250 3.6

New and different, not copied from others

19 3.2

Paying careful attention to what is happening

How Imitative

parrotlike
7.9
imitative
2 4.6

Surface Forms

parrotlike positive

Morphology

parrotlike = parrot (transparent) = parrot + like

Formed by the noun 'parrot' plus the productive adjectival suffix '-like', meaning 'resembling or characteristic of a parrot'.

Etymology

Parrotlike comes from the bird parrot, famous for copying sounds, and the ending -like meaning 'similar to'. The verb parrot also means 'to repeat without thinking', so parrotlike describes words or behaviour copied without thought, just like a parrot.