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

The agents also can use the company’s International Air Transport Association number—an identification code that travel agents must have before they can collect a commission.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

"We believe that the identification at the scene, the clothing that the deceased is wearing, would lead us to believe that it is him," Holland said, ABC reported.

From BBC • May 11, 2026

Sergei, the special forces "spetsnaz" officer, said members of his unit did not wear an identification number or body cameras with Ukrainian prisoners of war.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

While ID is commonly required for specific restaurant-related activities — such as purchasing alcohol or entering age-restricted venues — there is no general requirement to present identification simply to eat at a restaurant.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

It didn’t stop with mistaken identification by other Americans.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Related Words

• description
• passport
• recognition
• testimony