identical

adjective iden·ti·cal \ ī-ˈden-ti-kəl , ə- \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: identical in a Sentence

Definition of identical

1 : being the same : selfsame

the identical place we stopped before

2 : having such close resemblance as to be essentially the same

identical hats

—often used with to or with

3 a : having the same cause or origin

identical infections

b : monozygotic

—

identically

play \ī-ˈden-ti-k(ə-)lē, ə-\ adverb

—

identicalness

play \ī-ˈden-ti-kəl-nəs, ə-\ noun

See identical defined for English-language learners

See identical defined for kids

Examples of identical in a Sentence

We visited the identical place we stopped at last year.
They were wearing identical coats.
The boxes were identical in shape.
They drove virtually identical cars.
The results were identical to those of the first test.

Recent Examples of identical from the Web

North Dakota's rate was nearly identical to Indiana's.

— kaitlin lange, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana voter turnout in primary fails to crack 20 percent," 14 June 2018
In Georgia, the degree attainment percentages were nearly identical to the national averages, 32 percent for African-Americans and 21 percent for Latinos.

— eric stirgus, ajc, "Georgia gets mixed grades for college grad rates of black, Latino students," 14 June 2018
In fact, if the turnout in 2016 had been identical to that indicated in this poll, Democrat Hillary Clinton would have won Ohio by 5 points over Trump, according to respondents' recollections of their 2016 votes.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "This new poll about Ohio's 2018 election should worry Republicans," 12 June 2018
Lestrade’s technical approach is almost identical to the first installments, but as the years wear on, the focus of The Staircase closes tighter and tighter on the singular experience of Michael Peterson.

— sonia saraiya, HWD, "Review: Whether Old or New, The Staircase Offers No Easy Answers," 8 June 2018
The 2015 law is nearly identical to Texas' controversial HB2 restrictions, which the Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional in the 2016 ruling of Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt.

— refinery29.com, "How The Supreme Court Made Abortion Access Harder For Women In Arkansas," 30 May 2018
In his final season at Memphis, Lawson also posted defensive rebounding and shot-blocking percentages that were nearly identical to what Azubuike had last season.

— jesse newell, kansascity, "Udoka Azubuike withdraws from NBA draft. Here's what his return means for KU," 30 May 2018
These tactics are nearly identical to those the company deployed in the United States in the mid-’90s.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Purdue Pharma Knew Its Opioids Were Widely Abused by Late ’90s," 29 May 2018
Minus a few rocking power chords, the cover is initially identical to the original.

— mackenzie cummings-grady, Billboard, "Weezer Releases Cover of Toto's 'Africa' Following Social Media Campaign: Listen," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'identical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of identical

probably from Medieval Latin identicus, from Late Latin identitas

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1581

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

identical Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of identical

same, selfsame, very, identical, equivalent, equal mean not different or not differing from one another. same may imply and selfsame always implies that the things under consideration are one thing and not two or more things.

- took the same route
- derived from the selfsame source

very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind.

- the very point I was trying to make

identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

- identical results

equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

- two houses equivalent in market value

equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

- equal shares in the business

IDENTICAL Defined for English Language Learners

identical

adjective

Definition of identical for English Language Learners

: exactly the same
: exactly alike or equal

IDENTICAL Defined for Kids

identical

adjective iden·ti·cal \ ī-ˈden-ti-kəl \

Definition of identical for Students

1 : being one and the same

We saw the identical movie last week.

2 : being exactly alike or equal

They wore identical dresses.

—

identically

\-kə-lē\ adverb

Medical Dictionary

identical

adjective iden·ti·cal \ ī-ˈdent-i-kəl, ə- \

medical Definition of identical

: monozygotic

identical twins

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identical

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identically

identicalness

Examples of identical in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of identical

identical Synonyms

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identical

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