identical twin

American  

noun

1. one of a pair of twins who develop from a single fertilized ovum and therefore have the same genotype, are of the same sex, and usually resemble each other closely.

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Etymology

Origin of identical twin

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

But if one in a pair of identical twins is autistic, the chance that the other twin is also autistic is significantly higher.

From Los Angeles Times

In reality they were precisely the same size and always had been; they were the sort of perfectly identical twins whose own parents struggled to tell them apart.

From Literature

It might be granted that a reactionary is not a conservative’s identical twin — but he is a sibling living under the same roof.

From Salon

The restaurant initially mistook Paul for his identical twin "coming back for seconds" and denied him any food.

From BBC

She said the room included her identical twin sister who was one of several Writers Guild Canada writers enlisted to work on the show.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• Siamese twin
• fraternal twin