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
IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2020
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
Police said officers were dispatched and arrived within two minutes of the 911 call — first reported as a suspicious event and later upgraded to a burglary in progress — and that the Criminal Investigations Bureau dedicated more than 100 investigative hours to identifying those involved.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
As more participants join, the system becomes better at identifying connections, giving early registrants a unique edge.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
During the hearing, the judge went through her order line by line and detailed how agents should comply, including clearly identifying themselves and providing ample warning before deploying gas.
—Devan Cole, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Consuelos said, echoing his wife before identifying the culprit.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Murphy’s being booted from Back in Town comes shortly after the disco singer shared a graph on social media which purported to show that the percentage of 18-to-22-year-olds identifying as trans or nonbinary fell precipitously between 2021 and 2024.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 Oct. 2025
But there will be many barriers, such as identifying the best delivery mechanism to get this into the skin.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
In 2023, Valencia County deputies brought the case to the DNA Doe Project, and investigative genetic genealogists began putting together a family tree in hopes of identifying the woman, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 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
Deshpande suggested that while streaming algorithms like Netflix’s are good at identifying what is within a subscriber’s tastes, the algorithm may limit what that user is exposed to, to the detriment of studios trying to produce films.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
Police said officers were dispatched and arrived within two minutes of the 911 call — first reported as a suspicious event and later upgraded to a burglary in progress — and that the Criminal Investigations Bureau dedicated more than 100 investigative hours to identifying those involved.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
As more participants join, the system becomes better at identifying connections, giving early registrants a unique edge.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
During the hearing, the judge went through her order line by line and detailed how agents should comply, including clearly identifying themselves and providing ample warning before deploying gas.
—Devan Cole, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Consuelos said, echoing his wife before identifying the culprit.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Murphy’s being booted from Back in Town comes shortly after the disco singer shared a graph on social media which purported to show that the percentage of 18-to-22-year-olds identifying as trans or nonbinary fell precipitously between 2021 and 2024.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 Oct. 2025
But there will be many barriers, such as identifying the best delivery mechanism to get this into the skin.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
In 2023, Valencia County deputies brought the case to the DNA Doe Project, and investigative genetic genealogists began putting together a family tree in hopes of identifying the woman, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for identifying
Verb
-
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
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In Europe, the formation of Salon des Nouveaux Ensembliers is one of the boldest steps toward defining a new chapter of design, on the part of a national institution and toward pinpointing a distinct new guard composed of both established and emerging minds.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
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The overall structure of a chromosome can be divided first into large territories, then into more specialized compartments, and then into topologically associating domains, known as TADs.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Each of these titles represents a distinctive cinematic vision — works that captivate with their visual language, emotional depth, and masterful craftsmanship.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Dry lower-leg skin in African-American women is distinctive for its downregulation of several free fatty acids.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As America’s capital of both wine production and pleasant weather, California has any number of towns that capture this experience, each with distinguishing characteristics that suit different types of travelers.—
Justin Goldman,
AFAR Media,
24 Oct. 2025
-
But in a market where definitional confusion obscures risk and competitive tensions drive narratives, distinguishing signal from noise is increasingly critical and difficult.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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I’t’s correlating to an appetite for audiences to want to talk about it.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
-
However, sometimes, the right play happens for the correlating gossip.—
Charlotte Wilder,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Their characteristic projecting spines serve both as flotation modulators (via a complex process akin to raising and lowering protoplasmic sails) and as masts permitting the cell to extend itself outward into the surrounding water and feed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The closure is made with a zipper on the front, a characteristic element of many of his creations.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Rutgers-Eagleton’s mid-October survey mirrored that trend, finding 42 percent of voters viewed Sherrill favorably and 45 percent unfavorably, while Ciattarelli’s numbers were 41 percent favorable and 47 percent unfavorable.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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And with 23andMe filing for bankruptcy earlier this year, her chances of finding any additional siblings may be dwindling.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In recent days, the grassroots effort has spread, as messages offering and seeking assistance are cut, copied and pasted throughout communities big and small, connecting neighbors and finding those in need tangible help.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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Their apartment was four blocks from the bridge, the main artery connecting her to many parts of the city.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Identifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identifying. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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