to pretend to be someone else for the purpose of deception or entertainment
example
He decided to impersonate a famous actor at the charity event, delighting the audience with his spot-on impressions.
synonyms
imitatemimicsimulate
word origin — from Late Latin 'impersonare' meaning 'to personify, to assume the character of', from 'in-' (into) + 'persona' (person)
SAT Vocabulary Level 2 — Set 324
Set 324 of SAT Vocabulary Level 2 covers 5 words: impersonate, immerse, replenish, neutralize, ascribe. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
impersonate · verb/ɪmˈpɜrsəˌneɪt/
to pretend to be someone else for the purpose of deception or entertainment
He decided to impersonate a famous actor at the charity event, delighting the audience with his spot-on impressions.
Synonyms: imitate, mimic, simulate
Origin: from Late Latin 'impersonare' meaning 'to personify, to assume the character of', from 'in-' (into) + 'persona' (person)
immerse · verb/ɪˈmɜrs/
to involve oneself deeply in a particular activity or interest
She decided to immerse herself in the local culture during her year abroad.
Synonyms: engross, absorb, involve
Origin: from Latin 'immersus', past participle of 'immergere', from 'in-' (in) + 'mergere' (to plunge)
replenish · verb/rɪˈplɛn.ɪʃ/
to restore or fill up something that has been depleted
After the long drought, the rain helped to replenish the water supply in the reservoir.
Synonyms: refill, restore, replenish
Origin: from Middle English 'replenishen', from Old French 'replenir', from Latin 'replenire', meaning to fill again ('re-' meaning again and 'plere' meaning to fill)
neutralize · verb/ˈnuː.trə.laɪz/
to counteract or make ineffective
The scientist was able to neutralize the acidic solution by adding a base to it.
Synonyms: counteract, negate, nullify
Origin: from Latin 'neutralis', meaning 'of neuters', from 'neuter' meaning 'neither' + ' -ize'
ascribe · verb/əˈskraɪb/
to attribute something to a particular cause or source
Researchers often ascribe the increase in global temperatures to human activities such as fossil fuel consumption.
Synonyms: attribute, assign, credit
Origin: from Latin 'ascribere', meaning 'to add to, enroll, assign' (from 'ad-' meaning 'to' + 'scribere' meaning 'to write')