identity

[ ahy-den-ti-tee, ih-den- ]

/ aɪˈdɛn tɪ ti, ɪˈdɛn- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR identity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural i·den·ti·ties.

the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions: The identity of the fingerprints on the gun with those on file provided evidence that he was the killer.

the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another: He began to doubt his own identity.

condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is; the qualities, beliefs, etc., that distinguish or identify a person or thing: a case of mistaken identity; a male gender identity; immigrants with strong ethnic identities.

the state or fact of being the same one as described.

the sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time and sometimes disturbed in mental illnesses, as schizophrenia.

exact likeness in nature or qualities: an identity of interests.

an instance or point of sameness or likeness: to mistake resemblances for identities.

Logic. an assertion that two terms refer to the same thing.

Mathematics.

an equation that is valid for all values of its variables.
Also called identity element, unit element, unity. an element in a set such that the element operating on any other element of the set leaves the second element unchanged.
the property of a function or map such that each element is mapped into itself.
the function or map itself.

Australian Informal. an interesting, famous, or eccentric resident, usually of long standing in a community.

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Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.

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schlep

to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

to fold or wind around something

to carry; lug

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Origin of identity

1560–70; < Late Latin identitās, equivalent to Latin ident(idem) repeatedly, again and again, earlier *idem et idem (idem neuter of īdem the same + et and) + -itās -ity

SYNONYMS FOR identity

5 individuality, personality, distinctiveness, uniqueness.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR identity ON THESAURUS.COM

historical usage of identity

Identity comes into English via Middle French identité, ydemtité, ydemptité “the quality of being the same, sameness,” from Late Latin identitās (inflectional stem identitāt- ) “the quality of being the same, the condition or fact that an entity is itself and not another thing.” Identitās is formed partly from the Latin adverb identidem “again and again, repeatedly,” a contraction of idem et idem (“the same and the same”), and partly from Late Latin essentitās, a translation of Greek taủtótēs “identity” (that is, tò auto “the same” and the noun suffix -tēs “-ness”).
“One’s personal characteristics, or the sense of who one is, as perceived by the person or by others,” is a meaning of identity that dates from the early 18th century. Since then, issues of personal identity, especially sexual and gender identity, have provoked discussions about one’s overlapping roles in society. The phrase identity politics “political activity based on or catering to the cultural, ethnic, gender, racial, religious, or social interests that characterize a group identity” was coined in 1973.

OTHER WORDS FROM identity

non·i·den·ti·ty, noun

Words nearby identity

identification parade, identification tag, identifier, identify, identikit, identity, identity card, identity crisis, identity disorder, identity element, identity function

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for identity

They are not the actual traffickers, Yazbek says, so generally the other refugees protect their identity.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But those strands of his identity are all wound around the conspiracy that led him back to Gambia for the first time in 23 years.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Identity issues seem to have dogged Otis since his troubles began.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a remote location with little means for economic development, the Brogpas have cultivating this identity to their advantage.
The Himalayas’ Hidden Aryans|Nina Strochlic|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Every facet of his identity, taken alone, seemed at war with every other part of him.
The Sydney Astrologer Turned Islamic Radical|Jacob Siegel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jabez Smith acknowledged his identity and received news of his brother-in-law and his daughter with no signs of pleasure.
Ethel Morton's Enterprise|Mabell S.C. Smith
It will be a gigantic step forward if I learn the identity of his mysterious customer.
The Secret Pact|Mildred A. Wirt
But what seemed to anger them more than all, was the identity of the lad.
The Boy Scouts at the Battle of Saratoga|Herbert Carter
There was money in plenty upon his person, but not an article that would give the slightest clue to his identity.
A Breath of Prairie and other stories|Will Lillibridge
Pawson smiled faintly, then his eyebrows lost their identity in some well-defined wrinkles in his forehead.
Kennedy Square|F. Hopkinson Smith

British Dictionary definitions for identity

identity

/ (aɪˈdɛntɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the state of having unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing

the individual characteristics by which a person or thing is recognized

Also called: numerical identity the property of being one and the same individualhis loss of memory did not affect his identity

Also called: qualitative identity the state of being the same in nature, quality, etcthey were linked by the identity of their tastes

the state of being the same as a person or thing described or claimedthe identity of the stolen goods has not yet been established

identification of oneself asmoving to London destroyed his Welsh identity

logic

that relation that holds only between any entity and itself
an assertion that that relation holds, as Cicero is Tully

maths

an equation that is valid for all values of its variables, as in (x – y)(x + y) = x ² – y ². Often denoted by the symbol ≡
Also called: identity element a member of a set that when operating on another member, x, produces that member x: the identity for multiplication of numbers is 1 since x .1 = 1. x = xSee also inverse (def. 2b)

Australian and NZ informal a well-known person, esp in a specified locality; figure (esp in the phrase an old identity)

Word Origin for identity

C16: from Late Latin identitās, from Latin idem the same

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

Medical definitions for identity

identity

[ ī-dĕn′tĭ-tē ]

n.

The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.

The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality.

identity

noun, plural i·den·ti·ties.

QUIZZES

Origin of identity

SYNONYMS FOR identity

historical usage of identity

OTHER WORDS FROM identity

Words nearby identity

Words related to identity

Example sentences from the Web for identity

British Dictionary definitions for identity

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for identity

Medical definitions for identity

n.