Ersatz

/ˈɛrzæts/

Meaning & Definition

adjective

Made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one.

The café served ersatz coffee that tasted more like cardboard than beans.

Not genuine; fake.

The museum exhibit was filled with ersatz artifacts that did not have any historical significance.

Imitation or artificial.

He could tell the designer purse was ersatz and not the real deal.

Of a lower quality; inferior.

The movie was criticized for its ersatz plot and cliché characters.

German, meaning 'replacement' or 'substitute'.

ersatz love

A superficial or insincere form of affection.

ersatz humor

Humor that is artificial or lacks depth.

substitute

Something that takes the place of another.

imitation

A thing made to resemble another; a copy.

fake

A thing that is not genuine; a false imitation.

A term describing something that is not authentic.

That handbag is so ersatz; nobody would mistake it for the real thing.

Something that is a poor quality version of something else.

Her ersatz accent made it clear she wasn't from around here.