identical

adjective

iden·​ti·​cal ī-ˈden-ti-kəl 

ə-

1

: being the same : selfsame

the identical place we stopped before

2

: having such close resemblance as to be essentially the same

identical hats

—often used with to or with

3

a

: having the same cause or origin

identical infections

b

: monozygotic

identically

ī-ˈden-ti-k(ə-)lē 

ə-

adverb

identicalness

ī-ˈden-ti-kəl-nəs 

ə-

noun

Synonyms

• same
• selfsame
• very

Choose the Right Synonym for identical

same, selfsame, very, identical, equivalent, equal mean not different or not differing from one another.

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

very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind.

the very point I was trying to make

identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

identical results

equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

two houses equivalent in market value

equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

equal shares in the business

Examples of identical in a Sentence

We visited the identical place we stopped at last year.

They were wearing identical coats.

The boxes were identical in shape.

They drove virtually identical cars.

The results were identical to those of the first test.

Recent Examples on the Web

In two nearly identical lawsuits filed on Thursday against Ovation Fertility in Newport Beach, California, two unnamed couples are asserting multiple claims, including negligent misrepresentation, fraud, negligence and medical battery. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2024

Advertisement Several people who spoke with The Times had nearly identical experiences with the company: Nuñez or Valasquez would pick up their pet at any time of day, collect payment through Zelle and promise to return with the ashes in two to three weeks. —Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024

Investigators found several posts on the boy's Instagram account referencing the perpetrators of the Columbine school shooting, including a photo of the boy wearing an outfit identical to one of the perpetrators. —Yana Kunichoff, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024

Views of his handling of the Supreme Court are nearly identical to 2020, and Mr. Trump’s low approval ratings for unifying the country remain fairly similar. —Ruth Igielnik, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024

The excited ham atoms spontaneously release photons, which stimulate the release of identical photons, amplifying the light. —Susumu Noda, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Apr. 2024

Side button side-eye The Charge 6 looks nearly identical to the Charge 5. —Quentyn Kennemer, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024

The women’s team at Toledo drew almost identical numbers as the men’s team. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024

In the new YouGov poll, 29% of Californians supported secession, almost identical to the portion of Alaskans and Texans who would like independence for their states. —Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from Medieval Latin identicus, from Late Latin identitas

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing identical

• identical twin
• self-identical

Kids Definition

identical

adjective

iden·​ti·​cal ī-ˈdent-i-kəl 

ə-ˈdent-

1

: being one and the same

the identical place we stopped at last year

2

: exactly alike or equal

wearing identical coats

identically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

identicalness

-kəl-nəs 

noun

Medical Definition

identical

adjective

iden·​ti·​cal ī-ˈdent-i-kəl, ə- 

: monozygotic

identical twins