Definition of identicalnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word identical different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of identical are equal, equivalent, same, selfsame, and very. While all these words mean "not different or not differing from one another," identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

identical results

In what contexts can equal take the place of identical?

In some situations, the words equal and identical are roughly equivalent. However, equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

equal shares in the business

When is equivalent a more appropriate choice than identical?

The synonyms equivalent and identical are sometimes interchangeable, but equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

two houses equivalent in market value

How are the words same and selfsame related as synonyms of identical?

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

How does the word very relate to other synonyms for identical?

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

the very point I was trying to make

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 identical Downstairs, behind the shutters, there are two identical bedrooms, but for their colors. — Rosie Conroy, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026 Researchers also found that totals for identical baskets varied by an average of about 7%. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 But clearly, his decision didn’t stick, and in 2020, the pair quarantined together during the pandemic, a revelation that arose when eagle-eyed fans noticed their social media content had identical backgrounds. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 The quarterback can nearly seven years later walk into an identical hotel room. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for identical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for identical
Adjective
  • Recent polls show Raman leading Bass by a few points, but those same polls show almost a third of voters are still undecided.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • That same fall, Lane Kiffin walked out on an 11-1 Ole Miss team weeks before its first playoff game, lured to LSU by a war chest the Rebels couldn’t match.
    — Chris Park, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The bombers were moved abruptly in response to multiple streams of intelligence warnings, including a threat that the aircraft could be hit in a swarm drone attack similar to one Ukraine launched against Russia in June 2025.
    — Steve Hendrix, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Bellingham has followed a similar trajectory off the pitch, emerging as one of the sport’s most marketable young stars.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Thiessen said those events are not directly comparable to a new baseball stadium, which would host many more games regularly.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026
  • That’s harder to find in fashion these days, as the comparable speed of digital culture increases trend turnover and even algorithmic advertising struggles to keep up with what looking empirically cool means.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • But the less strictly technical procedure Serra describes is analogous to operations at stake in Jonas’s own work, implying that the act of measurement by walking and seeing is tacitly existential.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The senator said the Food and Drug Administration's model of pharmaceutical regulation is analogous to the AI debate.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The soul singer also holds two Guinness World Records, five Grammy Awards, more than over 64 million equivalent album sales, and 57 billion career streams.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026
  • At present, tanker owners transiting the Strait of Hormuz must pay single trip hull insurance premiums equivalent to 6% to 10% of the vessel’s overall value.
    — , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Identical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identical. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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