as in distinguishing
serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group
the marching band's striking black-and-silver uniforms serve as its identifying mark for thousands of parade spectators
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pinpointing
to find out or establish the identity of
sufficient forensic evidence to allow investigators to identify the perpetrator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in associating
to think of (something) in combination
for some reason, he always identified the color red with flowers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 identifying
IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2020
Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
The discovery helped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkering with the genetic makeup of living things, treating disease by inserting genes into patients, identifying human remains and criminal suspects from DNA samples, and tracing family trees and ancient human ancestors.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025
Caroline Hirsch, founder and former owner of the New York comedy club Carolines on Broadway, is known for an innate knack for identifying the next big thing in comedy… and Gaffigan was one of those comedians.
—Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 9 Nov. 2025
Jaramillo was honored at a September 2023 Coral Gables Commission meeting for his efforts in identifying and aiding in the arrest of a man accused of stealing Amazon delivery packages.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
The simulations were conducted as part of a sensitivity analysis aimed at identifying how design variations affect snow behavior, according to PV Magazine.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025
In this role, Goldstein was responsible for identifying new business opportunities, including acquisitions and helping to develop the division’s stateside growth plan.
—Vogue Business Team, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2025
Quick action can help prevent additional losses and assist authorities in identifying scam trends.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Arguably, that’s even more true today, when identifying as blue collar, country, or, yes, redneck is worn as a badge of honor by many.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Another intriguing possibility is to wait until the wireless world’s progress to ever-shorter wavelengths finally hits the millimeter band, which is small enough to resolve most identifying details.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2020
Verb
Alabama has heard the rumors of Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and his staff being good at identifying signs that opposing offenses use.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
The discovery helped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkering with the genetic makeup of living things, treating disease by inserting genes into patients, identifying human remains and criminal suspects from DNA samples, and tracing family trees and ancient human ancestors.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025
Caroline Hirsch, founder and former owner of the New York comedy club Carolines on Broadway, is known for an innate knack for identifying the next big thing in comedy… and Gaffigan was one of those comedians.
—Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 9 Nov. 2025
Jaramillo was honored at a September 2023 Coral Gables Commission meeting for his efforts in identifying and aiding in the arrest of a man accused of stealing Amazon delivery packages.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
The simulations were conducted as part of a sensitivity analysis aimed at identifying how design variations affect snow behavior, according to PV Magazine.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025
In this role, Goldstein was responsible for identifying new business opportunities, including acquisitions and helping to develop the division’s stateside growth plan.
—Vogue Business Team, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2025
Quick action can help prevent additional losses and assist authorities in identifying scam trends.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Arguably, that’s even more true today, when identifying as blue collar, country, or, yes, redneck is worn as a badge of honor by many.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for identifying
Verb
-
Before that time many devices, ornaments and distinguishing marks followed one another as official marks of the Corps.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025
-
People would devote entire dissertations to developing techniques for distinguishing handwritten digits or for recognizing faces in images; then a deep-learning algorithm would digest the underlying data, discover the subtleties of the problem, and make those projects seem obsolete.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But communal norms have no room for the unique nature of their relationship; having learned of the friendship, Kammo’s aunt forbids the girl from associating with the Muslim Hamida, and this rupture reignites Hamida’s previous trauma of repudiation.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Younger Democrats are increasingly associating her with the past and see her as part of the problem that let Donald Trump back into the White House rather than a credible candidate for 2028.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That characteristic ionization marks a full-fledged planetary nebula.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Nov. 2025
-
This gas then erupts from the shell of the comet, casting off solid dust and growing the halo around a comet, the coma, and its characteristic cometary tail.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Although DeSalvo confessed to being the infamous Boston Strangler, pinpointing his first killing remains difficult.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Companies are driving innovation by pinpointing weaknesses in existing products and transforming them to meet specific application needs.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Since the drugs have come on the market, declines in obesity rates have been higher among those between ages 40 and 64, correlating with a higher reliance on GLP-1 medications for that age group.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
-
I’t’s correlating to an appetite for audiences to want to talk about it.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His legacy is alive and well in the nightclubs of Recife, the capital city, where couples dance to forró’s distinctive ringing of triangles and humming zabumba drum until the early hours.—
Carolina Abbott Galvão,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
-
With 18 patterns in dinner, dessert, and mini sizes, these plates make your holiday table distinctive, sans the post-feast cleanup marathon.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Barca are finding life more difficult this term, though.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
With child care now costing costing more than many college degrees and more than rent in some major cities, parents are finding finances stretched.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Friedrichsen, a Wake Forest transfer, was among the trio of Wildcats in double figures, connecting on three triples and dealing a team-high three assists in the win.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Foraging for black walnuts is a long-standing tradition in the Ozarks, providing extra cash for harvesters and connecting people with the outdoors.—
Randy Moll,
Arkansas Online,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Identifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identifying. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share