Emulating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To achieve the same level of skill or success as another by imitating their actions or methodologies To act in a way that mirrors the behaviors, practices, or traits of someone else for the purpose of growth or improvement To incorporate the strategies or habits of an individual or system in order to enhance one’s own performance or capabilities
2. To imitate the qualities or actions of another person or thing in order to reach or exceed their level of success ; to follow someone's behavior or style as a model for personal development ; to integrate techniques or habits from another source to boost one's own abilities
3. To replicate another's skills or achievements by observing and mirroring them closely ; to mimic the conduct of someone to facilitate progress and learning ; to apply approaches learned from others to optimize results

Etymology: The verb "emulate" came into English in 1586, borrowed directly from the Latin "aemulatus," the past participle of "aemulari," meaning "to rival" or "to strive to equal." The Latin verb was itself tied to "aemulus," a word for a rival, so the earliest sense carried a note of competition rather than admiration. That competitive edge is what makes the modern meaning interesting. Where the Latin speaker might be racing a rival, the English word now describes the gentler act of copying someone you admire. The shift from rivalry to imitation happened gradually in English, and the sense of trying to match or surpass someone remains present in the word's form. The "-ate" ending is a Latin verb-forming suffix, which is why "emulate" sounds so much like other borrowed verbs such as "calculate" and "regulate."

Synonyms: imitating, copying, mimicking, replicating, duplicating

Antonyms: neglecting, ignoring, disregarding, abandoning, shunning