identification

American  

[ahy-den-tuh-fi-key-shuhn, ih-den-] / aɪˌdɛn tə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən, ɪˌdɛn- /

noun

1. an act or instance of identifying; the state of being identified.

   Synonyms:

   affiliation, connection, association

2. something that identifies a person, animal, or thing.

   He carries identification with him at all times.

3. Sociology. acceptance as one's own of the values and interests of a social group.

4. 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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identification British  

/ aɪˌdɛntɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of identifying or the state of being identified

2. 1. something that identifies a person or thing

   2. ( as modifier )

      an identification card

3. 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 personality See also empathy

   3. the transferring of a response from one situation to another because the two bear similar features See also generalization

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Other Word Forms

• nonidentification
  noun
• overidentification
  noun
• preidentification
  noun
• reidentification
  noun

Etymology

Origin of identification

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

Explanation

Identification is what you show when someone wants proof of who you are. When you get pulled over by a cop for speeding, you better have your driver’s license on you as your form of identification! Identification isn’t just the card or passport you carry around in your wallet to prove who you are to others. You can also have an identification with a person if you share common beliefs, traditions, or values; then you can say that you identify with that person. Identification can also mean the process of recognizing or identifying something. You may have to wait to adopt that stray dog until the pound has put the pooch through an identification process, trying to see if he already belongs to another family.

Example Sentences

Identification sits on top of detection: AI classification systems that distinguish a commercial delivery drone from a weaponized one in real time.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Identification relied on unique markings on each whale's skin, though these markings can fade after death, meaning some matches may have been missed.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

For decades, the government managed a fragile truce with undocumented immigrants, who in return for paying taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, would not have their financial disclosures given to immigration enforcement agencies.

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2026

So-called dark-port calls, when crews turn off the ship’s Automatic Identification System, mean vessels can enter and exit a harbor without leaving a trace.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

When Hoover became the bureau’s acting director, he created the Identification Division, a central repository for the fingerprints of arrested criminals from around the country.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Related Words

• description
• passport
• recognition
• testimony