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 The misconception is that reaching it means flattening every source system into an identical structure. Lewis Wynne-Jones, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025 After finishing with an identical 39-43 regular-season record, Dallas had just an 8.5 percent chance of cracking the top four. Darnell Mayberry, New York Times, 13 May 2025 The top 10 girl names are almost identical too, except for a new addition in the tenth spot. Anna Halkidis, Parents, 9 May 2025 Sky News and Torrent Freak were able to do the same and found identical results. Nicholas Rice, People.com, 3 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for identical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for identical
Adjective
  • But in book club fiction, that same moment can take a darker turn, leading to rehab, divorce or tragedy.
    Jessica Guerrieri, People.com, 9 May 2025
  • That same need for organizational agility and resilience is being brought to the fore in today’s turbulent economic and political climate.
    Alexander Clausbruch, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • The rules are strict about uniforms too, which are similar across all public schools – even specifying the types of socks and shoes students must wear.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
  • Going on multiple dates with multiple people via apps that are more or less pretty similar is going to cause some kind of fatigue.
    Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 3 May 2025
Adjective
  • Through the first five weeks of the second quarter, Texas Roadhouse said its comparable sales at company restaurants increased 5% year over year.
    Jeff Marks, CNBC, 8 May 2025
  • Overall, Nexstar’s distribution sales for the first quarter of 2025 were $762 million for the quarter, nearly flat with the comparable year-ago period.
    Jennifer Maas, Variety, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • The work of flattening out three-dimensional sculpture into a two-dimensional painting was analogous to intellectualizing and abstracting Blackness as media became more mobile in the early twentieth century.
    Delinda Collier, Artforum, 1 May 2025
  • Together, these provide a wealth of data that any neuroscientist would envy — analogous to a perfect map of a person’s brain, along with separate electrodes to monitor the activity of each neuron.
    Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%, and yields and prices move in opposite directions.
    Brian Evans,Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 16 May 2025
  • Here, 15 of the softest sheets that will convince you that crawling into bed at 9 p.m. is equivalent to self-care.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 16 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Identical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identical. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on identical

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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