definitions

identification

[ ahy-den-tuh-fi-key-shuhn, ih-den- ]
/ aɪˌdɛn tə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən, ɪˌdɛn- /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR identification ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of identifying; the state of being identified.
something that identifies a person, animal, or thing: He carries identification with him at all times.
Sociology. acceptance as one's own of the values and interests of a social group.
Psychology.
  1. a process by which one ascribes to oneself the qualities or characteristics of another person.
  2. (in psychoanalytic theory) the transference or reaction to one person with the feelings or responses relevant to another, as the identification of a teacher with a parent.
  3. perception of another as an extension of oneself.

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RELATED WORDS

testimony, recognition, passport, description, establishment, bracelet, assimilation, tag, papers, credentials, badge, id, apperception, naming

Nearby words

identical rhyme, identical twin, identical twins, identically, identifiable, identification, identification bracelet, identification card, identification parade, identification tag, identifier

Origin of identification

First recorded in 1635–45; identi(fy) + -fication

Related forms

non·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, nouno·ver·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, nounpre·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, nounre·i·den·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for identification

British Dictionary definitions for identification

identification

/ (aɪˌdɛntɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) /

noun

the act of identifying or the state of being identified
  1. something that identifies a person or thing
  2. (as modifier)an identification card
psychol
  1. the process of recognizing specific objects as the result of remembering
  2. the process by which one incorporates aspects of another person's personalitySee also empathy
  3. the transferring of a response from one situation to another because the two bear similar featuresSee also generalization (def. 3)
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

Medicine definitions for identification

identification

[ ī-dĕn′tə-fĭ-kā′shən ]

n.

A person's association with the qualities, characteristics, or views of another person or group.
An unconscious process by which a person transfers the response appropriate to a particular person or group to a different person or group.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.