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
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Recent Examples of identifying
Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
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
Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
But removing the enabling without identifying a goal is just going to cause conflict.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Sarah notes the rare presence of a man, a journalist, who will listen but not disclose names or identifying details of the attendees.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Depending on the data breach, that could include an email address, phone number, date of birth or other identifying details commonly harvested during large-scale hacks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Feb. 2026
There figures to be significant competition for Linderbaum’s services, with one league source identifying the Los Angeles Chargers as an ideal fit.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
The sheriff told the outlet investigators are getting closer to identifying some of the clothing worn by the suspect captured on Guthrie's doorbell camera and are awaiting more DNA analysis.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
The mayor advanced his efforts to ease these financial burdens by announcing that every city agency would be required to appoint a chief savings officer tasked with identifying savings within a 45-day window.
—Julie Samuels, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
Investigators were getting closer to identifying articles of clothing the masked man on Nancy Guthrie's porch was wearing, including the pants, shoes and shirt or jacket, the Pima County sheriff said.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
There are also passports from Lithuania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Russia, with most identifying information blacked out.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
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
Chicago police are asking for the public's help with identifying a teenage boy accused of shooting an innocent bystander in the Loop earlier this month.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
But removing the enabling without identifying a goal is just going to cause conflict.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Sarah notes the rare presence of a man, a journalist, who will listen but not disclose names or identifying details of the attendees.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Depending on the data breach, that could include an email address, phone number, date of birth or other identifying details commonly harvested during large-scale hacks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Feb. 2026
There figures to be significant competition for Linderbaum’s services, with one league source identifying the Los Angeles Chargers as an ideal fit.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
The sheriff told the outlet investigators are getting closer to identifying some of the clothing worn by the suspect captured on Guthrie's doorbell camera and are awaiting more DNA analysis.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026
The mayor advanced his efforts to ease these financial burdens by announcing that every city agency would be required to appoint a chief savings officer tasked with identifying savings within a 45-day window.
—Julie Samuels, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
Investigators were getting closer to identifying articles of clothing the masked man on Nancy Guthrie's porch was wearing, including the pants, shoes and shirt or jacket, the Pima County sheriff said.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 22 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for identifying
Verb
-
But OpenAI can’t weigh in on individual use cases for its technology, Altman said, such as distinguishing which specific military operations might be considered good or bad.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Tracing the evolution of storytelling from hunter-gatherer campfires and medieval printing presses to VR and AI, Ashton identifies a number of developments that can be expected to carry on into the future, among them the increasing difficulty of distinguishing fact from fiction.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But for the most part, your brain gets used to it despite associating the aesthetic with chaos and momentum.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
-
This rhetoric is employed to justify the state taking life, by associating the dead with national villainy.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Be aware that sodium nitrite is added to the brine to prevent bacterial growth and to give the meat its characteristic pink color.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The researchers also noted low water content in the samples, which are characteristic of tektites more generally.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One big differentiator is that unlike Apple’s AirTags, the Xiaomi Tag lacks ultra wideband (UWB) functionality for pinpointing its exact location.—
Andrew Liszewski,
The Verge,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Understanding those waves, and being able to use Einstein’s relativity to account for the arrival time differences at different locations, is key to pinpointing where those gravitational wave signals originate from.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By correlating this economic power with global viewership trends, NNAF will validate the thesis that African content is not just culturally significant, but a commercially viable sector ready for institutional scale.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
-
These digital twins operate as autonomous agents capable of validating issues, correlating signals, applying fixes and escalating to humans only when needed, compressing resolution times while improving service quality.—
Peter High,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The mangrove environment creates a distinctive paddling experience.—
Taylor Haught,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Founded in 1929 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Jawa’s first model was the 500 OHV, which did wonders in establishing the brand’s reputation for solid engineering and distinctive design.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Conservatives are digging through Talarico’s social media history and finding a trove of progressive commentary on hot-button cultural issues like race, gender, religion and immigration.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Under Johnson’s direction, Ginn is finding her own individual footing with the part.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Accessibility Despite the villa’s vertiginous surroundings, the elevators connecting the reception and the main villa ensure wheelchair access to the rooms.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Mar. 2026
-
And the manufacturer’s speed limiter had been disabled by cutting the wire and connecting it to a key switch, allowing the rider to push the bike to 60 mph.—
Cierra Morgan
March 4,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Identifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identifying. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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