expy
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A character in a work of fiction who is a stand-in for or knockoff of a character from an unrelated work or of a real person.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
I like your novel but your protagonist is pretty clearly a Scooby-Doo expy.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “expy” mean?
A character in a work of fiction who is a stand-in for or knockoff of a character from an unrelated work or of a real person.
Is “expy” formal or informal?
expy is generally slang.