Word: emulate (verb)

Associations

The word "emulate" means to try to be like someone or something, especially because you admire them. It often involves copying their behavior, skills, or achievements to reach the same level or better.

• Example 1: "She wants to emulate her older sister's success in sports." Here, she tries to be as good as her sister.
• Example 2: "Many young artists emulate famous painters to improve their skills." This means they copy or learn from famous painters.
• Example 3: "The company tries to emulate the innovative ideas of its competitors." The company wants to copy or match the competitors' innovations.

Synonym: "imitate" is similar, but "emulate" usually has a positive meaning of trying to match or surpass someone, while "imitate" can just mean copying without the idea of improvement.

Substitution

Instead of "emulate," you can use:

• "imitate" (copy exactly, sometimes without improvement)
• "follow" (to do the same as someone)
• "copy" (to do the same as someone) Using "emulate" shows respect and a goal to be as good or better, while "copy" or "imitate" might not have that positive feeling.

Deconstruction

"Emulate" comes from Latin "aemulari," which means "to rival" or "to strive to equal." It has no prefix or suffix in English; the whole word is the root. The idea is to try to be equal or better than someone admired.

Inquiry

• Who is someone you would like to emulate in your life? Why?
• Can you think of a time when you tried to emulate a skill or behavior from someone else?
• How is emulating different from just copying? When is it good to emulate, and when might it be bad?