identification

American  

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

noun

• identifications
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• identifications
  plural

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

See Examples For:

identification identifications

Those recovered -- flown by helicopter to hospital for formal identification -- included an American woman, an Omani woman, and a Nepali man, the regional government said in a statement released Friday night.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Another was a metal identification bracelet, similar to a dog tag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Those differences supported the identification of Eosphorosuchus as a separate genus and species.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

The original language said the measure “establishes additional voters identification and citizenship verification requirements.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Griffith’s identification of a chemical capable of carrying hereditary instructions between organisms—the “gene molecule”—would have sparked a thousand speculations and restructured the chemical theory of life.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Algae-heads have flocked to the posts to share their own photos, hazard species-level identifications, and talk trash.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

The duo did not have formal identifications with them and initially tried to lie to police about their names, he added.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

Unlike more straightforward identifications, this case required multiple scientific approaches and specialized expertise.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 27, 2026

The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said on Thursday that it is unable to confirm the identifications, ages, affiliations, or cities of origin for the victims until the recovery mission is completed.

From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026

Faces are a mercy; most identifications come after scrutiny of birthmarks, scraps of clothing, scars.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Related Words

• description
• passport
• recognition
• testimony