simular

English

Etymology

From Latin simulārius, from simulō (“to simulate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪmjʊlə(ɹ)/

Adjective

simular (not comparable)

1. (obsolete, rare) false; specious; counterfeit

Noun

simular (plural simulars)

1. (archaic) One who pretends to be what he is not; one who, or that which, simulates or counterfeits something; a pretender.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], line 54:

     Hide thee, thou bloody hand,
     Thou perjured, and thou simular of virtue
     That art incestuous.

   • 1848, William Tyndale, edited by Henry Walter, Doctrinal treatises and introductions to different portions of the Holy Scriptures:

     Christ calleth the Pharisees hypocrites, that is to say, simulars, and painted sepulchres.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “simular”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Anagrams

• Muralis

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin simulāre. Doublet of semblar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central, Northwestern) [si.muˈla]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [si.muˈlaɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

simular (first-person singular present simulo, first-person singular preterite simulí, past participle simulat)

1. to simulate

Conjugation

    Central Catalan conjugation of simular (first conjugation)

infinitive			simular
gerund			simulant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		simulat		simulada
		plural		simulats		simulades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	simulo	simules	simula	simulem	simuleu	simulen
	imperfect	simulava	simulaves	simulava	simulàvem	simulàveu	simulaven
	future	simularé	simularàs	simularà	simularem	simulareu	simularan
	preterite	simulí	simulares	simulà	simulàrem	simulàreu	simularen
	conditional	simularia	simularies	simularia	simularíem	simularíeu	simularien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	simuli	simulis	simuli	simulem	simuleu	simulin
	imperfect	simulés	simulessis	simulés	simuléssim	simuléssiu	simulessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	simula	simuli	simulem	simuleu	simulin
	negative (no)	—	no simulis	no simuli	no simulem	no simuleu	no simulin

Related terms

• simulació

Further reading

• “simular”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “simular”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “simular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “simular”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Galician

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sem-

Proto-Indo-European *sem-h₂-lo-

Proto-Italic *semalis

Latin similis

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin simulō, simulārelbor.

Galician simular

Learned borrowing from Latin simulō, simulāre. Doublet of semellar.

Verb

simular (first-person singular present simulo, first-person singular preterite simulei, past participle simulado)

1. to simulate

Conjugation

    Conjugation of simular

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (ti)	Third-person (el / ela / Vde.)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / Vdes.)
Infinitive
Impersonal	simular
Personal	simular	simulares	simular	simularmos	simulardes	simularen
Gerund
	simulando
Past participle
Masculine	simulado			simulados
Feminine	simulada			simuladas
Indicative
Present	simulo	simulas	simula	simulamos	simulades	simulan
Imperfect	simulaba	simulabas	simulaba	simulabamos	simulabades	simulaban
Preterite	simulei	simulaches	simulou	simulamos	simulastes	simularon
Pluperfect	simulara	simularas	simulara	simularamos	simularades	simularan
Future	simularei	simularás	simulará	simularemos	simularedes	simularán
Conditional	simularía	simularías	simularía	simulariamos	simulariades	simularían
Subjunctive
Present	simule	simules	simule	simulemos	simuledes	simulen
Imperfect	simulase	simulases	simulase	simulásemos	simulásedes	simulasen
Future	simular	simulares	simular	simularmos	simulardes	simularen
Imperative
Affirmative		simula	simule	simulemos	simulade	simulen
Negative (non)		non simules	non simule	non simulemos	non simuledes	non simulen

    Reintegrated conjugation of simular (See Appendix:Reintegrationism)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (ti / tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	simular
Personal	simular	simulares	simular	simularmos	simulardes	simularem
Gerund
	simulando
Past participle
Masculine	simulado			simulados
Feminine	simulada			simuladas
Indicative
Present	simulo	simulas	simula	simulamos	simulades, simulais	simulam
Imperfect	simulava	simulavas	simulava	simulávamos	simulávades, simuláveis, simulávais1	simulavam
Preterite	simulei	simulaste, simulache1	simulou	simulamos	simulastes	simulárom, simularam
Pluperfect	simulara	simularas	simulara	simuláramos	simulárades, simuláreis, simulárais1	simularam
Future	simularei	simularás	simulará	simularemos	simularedes, simulareis	simularám, simularão
Conditional	simularia	simularias	simularia	simularíamos	simularíades, simularíeis, simularíais1	simulariam
Subjunctive
Present	simule	simules	simule	simulemos	simuledes, simuleis	simulem
Imperfect	simulasse	simulasses	simulasse	simulássemos	simulássedes, simulásseis	simulassem
Future	simular	simulares	simular	simularmos	simulardes	simularem
Imperative
Affirmative		simula	simule	simulemos	simulade, simulai	simulem
Negative (nom)		nom simules	nom simule	nom simulemos	nom simuledes, nom simuleis	nom simulem

¹Less recommended.

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sem-

Proto-Indo-European *sem-h₂-lo-

Proto-Italic *semalis

Latin similis

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin simulārelbor.

Portuguese simular

Learned borrowing from Latin simulāre. Doublet of semelhar.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /si.muˈla(ʁ)/ [si.muˈla(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /si.muˈla(ʁ)/ [si.muˈla(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /si.muˈla(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /si.muˈla(ʁ)/ [si.muˈla(χ)]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /si.muˈla(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /si.muˈlaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /si.muˈlaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /si.muˈla.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: si‧mu‧lar

Verb

simular (first-person singular present simulo, first-person singular preterite simulei, past participle simulado)

1. to simulate

Conjugation

    Conjugation of simular (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	simular
Personal	simular	simulares	simular	simularmos	simulardes	simularem
Gerund
	simulando
Past participle
Masculine	simulado			simulados
Feminine	simulada			simuladas
Indicative
Present	simulo	simulas	simula	simulamos	simulais	simulam
Imperfect	simulava	simulavas	simulava	simulávamos	simuláveis	simulavam
Preterite	simulei	simulaste	simulou	simulamos1, simulámos2	simulastes	simularam
Pluperfect	simulara	simularas	simulara	simuláramos	simuláreis	simularam
Future	simularei	simularás	simulará	simularemos	simulareis	simularão
Conditional	simularia	simularias	simularia	simularíamos	simularíeis	simulariam
Subjunctive
Present	simule	simules	simule	simulemos	simuleis	simulem
Imperfect	simulasse	simulasses	simulasse	simulássemos	simulásseis	simulassem
Future	simular	simulares	simular	simularmos	simulardes	simularem
Imperative
Affirmative		simula	simule	simulemos	simulai	simulem
Negative (não)		não simules	não simule	não simulemos	não simuleis	não simulem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Derived terms

• simulação

Further reading

• “simular”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “simular”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sem-

Proto-Indo-European *sem-h₂-lo-

Proto-Italic *semalis

Latin similis

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin simulārebor.

Spanish simular

Borrowed from Latin simulāre. Doublet of semejar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /simuˈlaɾ/ [si.muˈlaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: si‧mu‧lar

Verb

simular (first-person singular present simulo, first-person singular preterite simulé, past participle simulado)

1. to feign, to pretend

   Synonyms: fingir, pretender

2. to simulate

Conjugation

    Conjugation of simular (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			simular
gerund			simulando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		simulado		simulada
		plural		simulados		simuladas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	simulo	simulastú simulásvos	simula	simulamos	simuláis	simulan
	imperfect	simulaba	simulabas	simulaba	simulábamos	simulabais	simulaban
	preterite	simulé	simulaste	simuló	simulamos	simulasteis	simularon
	future	simularé	simularás	simulará	simularemos	simularéis	simularán
	conditional	simularía	simularías	simularía	simularíamos	simularíais	simularían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	simule	simulestú simulésvos2	simule	simulemos	simuléis	simulen
	imperfect (ra)	simulara	simularas	simulara	simuláramos	simularais	simularan
	imperfect (se)	simulase	simulases	simulase	simulásemos	simulaseis	simulasen
	future1	simulare	simulares	simulare	simuláremos	simulareis	simularen
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		simulatú simulávos	simule	simulemos	simulad	simulen
	negative		no simules	no simule	no simulemos	no simuléis	no simulen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of simular

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive simular	dative	simularme	simularte	simularle, simularse	simularnos	simularos	simularles, simularse
	accusative	simularme	simularte	simularlo, simularla, simularse	simularnos	simularos	simularlos, simularlas, simularse
with gerund simulando	dative	simulándome	simulándote	simulándole, simulándose	simulándonos	simulándoos	simulándoles, simulándose
	accusative	simulándome	simulándote	simulándolo, simulándola, simulándose	simulándonos	simulándoos	simulándolos, simulándolas, simulándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative simula	dative	simúlame	simúlate	simúlale	simúlanos	not used	simúlales
	accusative	simúlame	simúlate	simúlalo, simúlala	simúlanos	not used	simúlalos, simúlalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative simulá	dative	simulame	simulate	simulale	simulanos	not used	simulales
	accusative	simulame	simulate	simulalo, simulala	simulanos	not used	simulalos, simulalas
with formal second-person singular imperative simule	dative	simúleme	not used	simúlele, simúlese	simúlenos	not used	simúleles
	accusative	simúleme	not used	simúlelo, simúlela, simúlese	simúlenos	not used	simúlelos, simúlelas
with first-person plural imperative simulemos	dative	not used	simulémoste	simulémosle	simulémonos	simulémoos	simulémosles
	accusative	not used	simulémoste	simulémoslo, simulémosla	simulémonos	simulémoos	simulémoslos, simulémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative simulad	dative	simuladme	not used	simuladle	simuladnos	simulaos	simuladles
	accusative	simuladme	not used	simuladlo, simuladla	simuladnos	simulaos	simuladlos, simuladlas
with formal second-person plural imperative simulen	dative	simúlenme	not used	simúlenle	simúlennos	not used	simúlenles, simúlense
	accusative	simúlenme	not used	simúlenlo, simúlenla	simúlennos	not used	simúlenlos, simúlenlas, simúlense

Related terms

• disimular
• similar
• simulación
• simulacro
• simulador

Further reading

• “simular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025