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 In duplication or mirror mode, the machine prints up to four identical parts simultaneously, effectively quadrupling batch output without needing to ramp up raw print speed. New Atlas, 5 Sep. 2026 And as winter draws nearer, people will turn on the heat — using heating oil that's almost chemically identical to diesel. Willa Rubin, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026 The skunks are nearly identical, though the white stripes along the top of their heads are unique, with one reaching a narrow point while the other curves toward one side of her nose. Finch Walker, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 But a €3 duty that is paid only once for ten identical garments is not a response commensurate with the scale of the problem. Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for identical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for identical
Adjective
  • That same month, Arkansas Blue Cross eliminated 75 jobs — 2% of its workforce — amid rising costs, declining membership and rising demand for services.
    John Magsam, Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Perhaps surprisingly, that same business has quietly bankrolled Spano’s path to the sky.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Smith, signed in January 2025 from Reading for a similar fee, was more of a slow burner in the second tier, starting just one league game before the turn of the year as Moore was continually preferred.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Xiaomi, the world's third-largest smartphone player, introduced the Xiaomi 18 Fold on Monday, a passport-sized device similar to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, which was released earlier this year.
    Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • But with the important exception of Somalia and large parts of West Africa, jihadi groups have not managed a mobilization comparable with the ones after the 2003 Iraq War or during the rise of the Islamic State.
    Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Ministerial salaries had increasingly fallen behind comparable earnings in the private sector and civil service, making a review necessary, Wong said.
    ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • That suggests the possibility of traffic strategies targeting such neighborhoods, analogous to child safety efforts focused on schools and their surroundings.
    Paula Span, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
  • This event is analogous to one geologists observed in 2021, known as the Chamoli disaster in India.
    Thor Benson, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The major problem law enforcement officials have with cannabis is that currently there’s no blood alcohol content equivalent like there is with alcohol.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The researchers did not find equivalent evidence that introverted participants preferred an introverted AI.
    Paul Jones, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Identical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identical. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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