What does copycatting mean?
Copycatting is the act of closely imitating another person's behaviour, style, work, or ideas rather than creating something original. It functions as a noun derived from 'copycat', a term that emerged in late nineteenth-century American English. The word is common in everyday speech, journalism, business commentary, and criminology. In casual use it often carries a mildly disapproving tone, implying a lack of imagination or a lazy reliance on someone else's efforts — a student accused of copycatting a classmate's essay, or a fashion label derided for copying a rival's designs. In commercial contexts, however, the charge can be more neutral, describing the routine way industries replicate successful products. A distinct sense appears in crime reporting, where copycatting refers to offences committed in imitation of notorious cases publicized in the media. Related terms such as plagiarism and emulation overlap in places, but copycatting remains the broadest and most colloquial label for imitation itself.
The act or practice of imitating another person's behaviour, style, work, or ideas, often unoriginally or without permission.
"Critics accused the studio of blatant copycatting."
Frequently used attributively in phrases like 'a copycatting spree'; carries a mildly pejorative tone in most contexts.
The commissioning of acts, especially crimes, in deliberate imitation of well-publicized incidents.
"Broadcasters delayed naming the arsonist to prevent copycatting."
Common in journalism and police statements discussing media effects on crime.
The term 'copycat' was coined in the 1880s — and by the early 20th century it had already spawned the phrase 'copycat crime', now a staple of criminology.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of copycatting
The noun derives from 'copycat', a compound of 'copy' (ultimately from Latin 'copia', meaning abundance, which gave rise to the copying sense) and 'cat', reflecting the notion of feline mimicry. 'Copycat' first appeared in American English in the 1880s, popularized in part by Sarah Orne Jewett's 1886 story 'The Country of the Pointed Firs'. By the early twentieth century the phrase 'copycat crime' was established, extending the term into criminology, and the gerundial noun 'copycatting' followed as the standard way to name the activity itself.
Related word forms
How copycatting is actually used
Informal to semi-formal register. Often carries a mildly negative connotation, suggesting lack of originality or lazy imitation, though in business contexts it can be neutral, describing competitive imitation of successful products.
Easily confused with copycatting
Plagiarism specifically means passing off someone else's written or intellectual work as one's own, whereas copycatting is the broader, often informal imitation of behaviour, style, or products.