identity

noun

ī-ˈden-tə-tē How to pronounce identity (audio)
Definition of identitynext
1
as in similarity
the state of being exactly alike although the covers of the two paperback editions of the novel are different, there's a complete identity in the texts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in personality
the set of qualities that make a person different from other people children begin to form their own identity by the age of two

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of identity The visitor’s identity and reason for the masked appearance remain unknown. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 The gloom was useful for masking scavenging activities and for concealing one’s identity. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Later in the morning, Plano Police confirmed the suspect's identity as 27-year-old Travon Tamar Andrews. — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Episode four of VisionQuest digs into Butcherbird’s origins and identity while raising fresh questions about her. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for identity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for identity
  1. similarity
  2. personality
  3. resemblance
  4. character
  5. sameness
  6. oneness
  7. homogeneity
Noun
  • Benson’s death has similarities to other e-bicycle and e-motorcycle incidents, including two deaths in Huntington Beach — that of a 62-year-old Westminster woman on Saturday and a 21-year-old man in July.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, the two men bonded at the time about their most noticeable similarity, comparing notes on how they were treated by other kids in school for being redheads.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of similarity
Noun
  • Behind the scenes, Chicago historian and media personality Studs Terkel played an integral role, acting as a guide for Mitchell.
    — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Behind the scenes, Muse uses a collection of digital notes and instructions to guide its personality, actions and memory, all of which can be reviewed, edited and deleted.
    — Marty Swant, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of personality
Noun
  • And more importantly, what is this anxiety so many men feel about their emotions that drives them to torturously invent bodies that bear little resemblance to the human form?
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
  • For many people, however, the presentation instead bears an uncanny and unfortunate resemblance to imagery used in Nazi-era Germany.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of resemblance
Noun
  • The Johnson County pastor and the former rural doctor traded condemnations, repeatedly turning policy questions into opportunities to cast doubt on each other’s character and fitness for office.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Stretch fabrics have sleek constructions without the bulky appearance of conventional stretch denim, and mechanical stretch fabrics offer big, open twills and rigid character.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of character
Noun
  • Major athletics departments instead spend toward sameness, waging arms races to build lookalike weight rooms.
    — Chris Park, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
  • But without sharp strategy and human judgment, AI will only accelerate a tsunami of sameness.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of sameness
Noun
  • The spiritual oneness with God that Christ Jesus so beautifully demonstrated in his life, is ours to demonstrate as well.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Western scholars also variously understand the concept of brahman in the Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta as a version of monism (the oneness of all things), pantheism (all is god), or panentheism (god is the whole universe and beyond).
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of oneness
Noun
  • The government favored loans to racially homogeneous suburban developments, and racial covenants maintained that homogeneity.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Sklansky said the success of community policing is not based on that city size or homogeneity but whether police officers are committed to building relationships with the community.
    — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of homogeneity

Phrases Containing identity

Browse Nearby Words

identities
identity
identity card
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Identity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identity. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All