What does "identical" mean?
Something which has exactly the same properties as something else.
Identical
/ɪˈdɛntɪkl̩/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something which has exactly the same properties as something else.
- Grammar: identical is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: indistinguishable, alike, all one, all the same.
- Useful contrasts: contrasting, different, distinct.
- Usage evidence: Your chair is identical to mine.
How to use "identical"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "identical" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "identical" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "identical" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "identical" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "identical" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "indistinguishable" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "identical", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something which has exactly the same properties as something else.
- 2 An identical twin.
"Fraternal twins are boy-girl pairs as often as of the same sex, while identicals are necessarily of the same sex, […]"
- 3 A rhyme on the same syllable, such as "leave" and "believe".
"The strictest construction of the rule requires complete and unvarying repetition of end-words, but some license is granted in the use of identicals."
Adjective
- 1 Bearing full likeness by having precisely the same set of characteristics; indistinguishable. not-comparable
"My car is identical with the one my mom has just bought."
- 2 Not different or other; not another or others; not different as regards self; selfsame; numerically identical. not-comparable
"The best of the joke, too, is, that the very coal-merchant who is loudest in his complaints against the person who defrauded him, is the identical man who sat in the centre of the very front row of the pit last night and laughed the most boisterously at this very same thing,--and not so well done either."
- 3 Of twins, sharing the same genetic code. not-comparable
- 4 Exactly equivalent. not-comparable
- 5 Approximating or approaching exact equivalence. comparable, rare
"The terms of Article 8th are still more identical."
Adjective
- 1 (of twins) derived from a single egg or ovum wordnet
- 2 coinciding exactly when superimposed wordnet
- 3 having properties with uniform values along all axes wordnet
- 4 exactly alike; incapable of being perceived as different wordnet
- 5 being the exact same one; not any other: wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Your chair is identical to mine."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "identical"?
Common synonyms include: indistinguishable, alike, all one, all the same, aped, biform.
How do you use "identical" in a sentence?
Your chair is identical to mine.
How do you pronounce "identical"?
Pronounced /ɪˈdɛntɪkl̩/.
Etymology
From identic + -al.