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Synonyms

identical

American  
[ahy-den-ti-kuhl, ih-den-] / aɪˈdɛn tɪ kəl, ɪˈdɛn- /

adjective

  1. similar or alike in every way.

    The two cars are identical except for their license plates.

  2. being the very same; selfsame.

    This is the identical room we stayed in last year.

  3. agreeing exactly.

    identical opinions.
    Synonyms:
    equal, congruent, congruous
identical British  
/ aɪˈdɛntɪkəl /

adjective

  1. Also called: numerically identical.  being one and the same individual

    Cicero and Tully are identical

  2. Also called: quantitatively identical.  exactly alike, equal, or agreeing

  3. designating either or both of a pair of twins of the same sex who developed from a single fertilized ovum that split into two Compare fraternal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • identically adverb
  • identicalness noun
  • nonidentical adjective
  • pseudoidentical adjective
  • quasi-identical adjective
  • quasi-identically adverb
  • unidentical adjective
  • unidentically adverb

Etymology

Origin of identical

First recorded in 1610–20; from Medieval Latin identic(us) identic + -al 1

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“A classic. Two spies agree to use a certain book. They both have identical copies. But they don’t tell anyone what book their using.”

From Literature

The act allows for an identical bill that passes the Commons twice to become law, even without the Lords' consent.

From BBC

Other clients had identical claims in both groups and mistakenly believed the two firms that represented them were compiling the information into one claim, Thom said.

From Los Angeles Times

Although they appear nearly identical, they live in different habitats and face different environmental pressures.

From Science Daily

If an identical bill passes the Commons a second time, the Lords cannot block it again and the legislation will become law at the end of that second session even without the Lords' approval.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.