emulation
/ˌɛm.jʊˈleɪ̯.ʃən/
emulation means the endeavor or desire to equal or excel someone else in qualities or actions.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, emulation ranks #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #7,180 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words.
emulation is pronounced /ˌɛm.jʊˈleɪ̯.ʃən/.
Why “emulation” is a great word
The ambition to match or exceed another in accomplishment or character, or the technical process of one system mimicking another. From Middle French émulation, from Latin aemulātiō ('rivalry, emulation'), from aemulārī ('to rival, emulate'), first attested in English in the 1550s. Unlike 'imitation,' which suggests a passive copying, or 'envy,' which festers in resentful desire, emulation is a fuel, not a shadow. It is the young composer studying Bach to converse, not replicate; the athlete analyzing a rival’s form to find an edge; the silent, perfect architecture of a machine pretending to be another machine. It is aspiration made legible, the honorable shadow that proves the light was worth reaching for.
Etymology
From Middle French émulation, from Latin aemulātiō.
noun
- The endeavor or desire to equal or excel someone else in qualities or actions.e.g.“a great figure who is worthy of respect and emulation”
- Jealous rivalry; envy; envious contention.e.g.“Scarce two gentlemen dwell together in the country […] , but there is emulation betwixt them and their servants, some quarrel or some grudge betwixt their wives or children […]”
- Execution of a program or other software designed for a different system, by simulating parts of the other system.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- aspiration 83% match — The act of aspiring or ardently desiring; an ardent wish or desire, chiefly after what is elevated or spiritual (with common adjunct adpositions being to and of). vs emulation →
- virtual 83% match — In effect or essence, rather than in fact or reality; also, imitated, simulated. vs emulation →
- endeavor 83% match — A sincere attempt; a determined or assiduous effort towards a specific goal; assiduous or persistent activity. vs emulation →
- mimicry 83% match — An act or ability to simulate or effect the appearance, characteristics, or behavior of someone or something else. vs emulation →
- exemplar 83% match — Something fit to be imitated; an ideal, a worthy model or role model: a desirable example. vs emulation →
- excellence 82% match — The quality of being excellent; brilliance vs emulation →
- pretension 81% match — A claim or aspiration to a particular status or quality. vs emulation →
- simulacrum 81% match — A physical image or representation of a deity, person, or thing. vs emulation →