identity

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

noun

, plural i·den·ti·ties.

1. 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.

2. the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another:

   He began to doubt his own identity.

3. 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.

4. the state or fact of being the same one as described.
5. the sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time and sometimes disturbed in mental illnesses, as schizophrenia.

   Synonyms: uniqueness, distinctiveness, personality, individuality

6. exact likeness in nature or qualities:

   an identity of interests.

7. an instance or point of sameness or likeness:

   to mistake resemblances for identities.

8. Logic. an assertion that two terms refer to the same thing.
9. Mathematics.
   1. an equation that is valid for all values of its variables.
   2. Also called identity element,. an element in a set such that the element operating on any other element of the set leaves the second element unchanged.
   3. the property of a function or map such that each element is mapped into itself.
   4. the function or map itself.
10. Australian Informal. an interesting, famous, or eccentric resident, usually of long standing in a community.

identity

/ aɪˈdɛntɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of having unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing
2. the individual characteristics by which a person or thing is recognized
3. Also callednumerical identity the property of being one and the same individual

   his loss of memory did not affect his identity

4. Also calledqualitative identity the state of being the same in nature, quality, etc

   they were linked by the identity of their tastes

5. the state of being the same as a person or thing described or claimed

   the identity of the stolen goods has not yet been established

6. identification of oneself as

   moving to London destroyed his Welsh identity

7. logic
   1. that relation that holds only between any entity and itself
   2. an assertion that that relation holds, as Cicero is Tully
8. maths
   1. 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 ≡
   2. Also calledidentity 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 = x See also inverse
9. informal.
   a well-known person, esp in a specified locality; figure (esp in the phrase an old identity )

Other Words From

• non·i·den·ti·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of identity¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin identitās, equivalent to Latin ident(idem) “repeatedly, again and again,” earlier unattested idem et idem ( idem neuter of īdem “the same” + et “and”) + -itās noun suffix; -ity none

Word History and Origins

Origin of identity¹

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

Example Sentences

It is an expression of how civic leaders and citizens frame a city’s identity.

From Los Angeles Times

Creating that identity today, said Miller, is “a balancing act.”

From Los Angeles Times

Marva Diaz, a political strategist who mostly represents female candidates, said identity politics remain important to California campaigns despite the drubbing Democrats took nationally in this election, in part due to Trump’s strategy of appealing to young men.

From Los Angeles Times

Dr Aja Murray, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, who led the study, said: "Emotion regulation skills are acquired from early in life and are thought to strengthen gradually over childhood. Children, however, acquire these skills at different rates and slower acquisition may serve as a marker for neurodevelopmental and mental health issues. Our findings suggest that monitoring trajectories of emotion regulation over development could help identity which children are at risk of mental health issues."

From Science Daily

Britt, now 64, guarded her identity and her story for nearly five decades, publicly revealing herself as the author’s “single secret muse” in a Vanity Fair profile published this week.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• character
• existence
• identification
• integrity
• name
• personality
• status