ersatz
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ersatz
- /ˈɛəzæts/ UK
- /ˈɜːsæts/
- /ˈɛəɹsɑts/ US
- /ˈɛəɹzɑts/
- /ɛəɹˈsɑːts/
- /ɛəɹˈzɑːts/
- /ˈɝsæts/
Rhymes with (US) -ɑːts
Where it comes from
Borrowed from German Ersatz (“replacement, substitute”), a back-formation from ersetzen (“to replace, to substitute”).
adjective more ersatz · most ersatz
-
An inauthentic or inadequate substitute or imitation.
Back then, we could only get ersatz coffee.
Similar: fake, faux, imitation, inauthentic, knockoff, rip-off, gingerbread
noun ersatzes
- Something made in imitation; an effigy or substitute. The important point I want to emphasize here is that, regardless of a Government agency's conception of what a consumer expects of a food item, by and large the consumer detests the use of chemicals in foods as substitutes for nutritious, wholesome natural ingredients which improve flavor and qualit
Translations
Talk about this word "ersatz." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ersatz. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ersatz. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ersatz "ersatz." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ersatz.Cite this
@misc{ersatz_2026,
title = {ersatz},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ersatz},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
