English Reference

Word

identity

Phoneticsiden·ti·ty

US/aɪˈdɛntɪˌti/

UK/aɪdˈɛntɪti/

Definitions

01who someone is

B1

n. the qualities, beliefs, and personality that make a person or group different from others.

n. the distinct personality or set of characteristics by which an individual or collective is recognised.

“Living in a different country for ten years changed his sense of identity.”

“The architect argued that the new development would destroy the historical identity of the neighbourhood by replacing local shops with global chains.”

02official information

B1

n. your name and other facts about you, often shown on a document like a passport.

n. the fact of being a specific person or thing; often relates to the verification of personal data.

“The police asked the man to prove his identity by showing a driver's license.”

“The bank implemented two-factor authentication to protect customers against identity theft and unauthorised access to their accounts.”

Antonyms

03sameness

C1

n. the state of being exactly the same as something else.

n. the quality or condition of being identical; absolute sameness.

“The identity of the two DNA samples proved they came from the same person.”

“The philosopher explored the identity of the self over time, questioning whether a person remains the same despite physical and mental changes.”

Academic · Formal

Synonyms

identicalnessuniformity

Antonyms

differencedistinctness

04mathematical rule

C1 · Math

n. an equation that is always true, no matter what numbers you use.

n. an equality that remains true regardless of the values assigned to its variables.

“In your math homework, you need to use a trigonometric identity to solve the problem.”

“The professor demonstrated how the additive identity, zero, functions within various algebraic structures to maintain the value of other elements.”

Technical

Synonyms

05a famous person

C2

n. a person who is very well-known in a specific area or town.

n. a well-known or prominent individual within a particular community.

“He was a local identity who everyone recognised at the Saturday market.”

“The funeral was attended by several sporting identities and local politicians who wished to pay their respects to the legendary coach.”

Dialect

Usage

Primarily used in Australian and New Zealand English.

Antonyms

Etymology

From Middle French identité, from Latin identitās.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Collocations

establish identity

Word family

Idioms

steal someone's identity — To assume another person's identity, usually to gain access to that person's finances or to frame a person for a crime; to commit identity theft.

Domains

ComputingMathematics

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference