Imiteren

Imiteren is a Dutch verb meaning to imitate or mimic something or someone. It covers copying gestures, voices, sounds, styles, or techniques, and is used across everyday speech, performing arts, education, and scientific contexts such as studies of social learning. The noun form is imitatie, and related terms include imitator and imitatie as the act or result of imitation.

Etymology and related forms: The word derives from Latin imitari, meaning to imitate, and entered Dutch through imiteren. It shares cognates with related words in other Germanic languages and with the English imitate.

Usage and nuance: Imiteren describes deliberate copying, often for practice, impersonation, or stylistic reproduction. It can have neutral to neutral-positive connotations, depending on context. In everyday language, synonyms such as nadoen and nabootsen are common, with nuanced differences: nadoen tends to be informal or casual, while nabootsen can emphasize functional or practical replication. In arts and education, imiteren is used for character portrayal, impression, or formal imitation of a technique or style.

Examples: De leerling imiteerde de leraar bij het voordoen van gebaren. De acteur imiteerde een beroemdheid. In cognitieve studies wordt imiteren gezien als een sleutelmechanisme van social learning bij kinderen en bij sommige diergroepen.

See also: imitatie, nabootsen, nadoen, imitator, imitation studies.