IDENTITY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does identity mean? 

• IDENTITY (noun)
  The noun IDENTITY has 4 senses:

1. the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity

2. the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known

3. an operator that leaves unchanged the element on which it operates

4. exact sameness

  Familiarity information: IDENTITY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IDENTITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

identity; individuality; personal identity

Context example:

you can lose your identity when you join the army

Hypernyms ("identity" is a kind of...):

personality (the complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "identity"):

gender identity (your identity as it is experienced with regard to your individuality as male or female; awareness normally begin in infancy and is reinforced during adolescence)

identification (the attribution to yourself (consciously or unconsciously) of the characteristics of another person (or group of persons))

personhood (being a person)

Derivation:

identify (recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

she guessed the identity of his lover

Hypernyms ("identity" is a kind of...):

identification; recognition (the process of recognizing something or someone by remembering)

Derivation:

identify (recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something)

identify (identify as in botany or biology, for example)

identify (give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An operator that leaves unchanged the element on which it operates

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Synonyms:

identity; identity element; identity operator

Context example:

the identity under numerical multiplication is 1

Hypernyms ("identity" is a kind of...):

operator ((mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Exact sameness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

identicalness; identity; indistinguishability

Context example:

they shared an identity of interests

Hypernyms ("identity" is a kind of...):

sameness (the quality of being alike)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "identity"):

oneness; unity (the quality of being united into one)

selfsameness (the quality of being identical with itself)

Derivation:

identical (exactly alike; incapable of being perceived as different)

identical (being the exact same one; not any other:)

identify (consider to be equal or the same)

identify (consider (oneself) as similar to somebody else)

 Context examples 

The numbers, energies and arrangement of electrons around atomic nuclei determine the chemical identities of elements.

(Electron, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A unique symbol that establishes identity of the document.

(Document Identifier with Attribute Identifier, NCI Thesaurus)

A unique symbol that establishes identity of the experimental unit.

(Experimental Unit Identifier, NCI Thesaurus)

It has a 55% amino acid residue identity to acidic fibroblast growth factor and has potent heparin-binding activity.

(Fibroblast Growth Factor 2, NCI Thesaurus)

Human amino acid sequence shows complete identity (and 92% nucleotide identity) with rat; it is also identical to mouse hippocalcin.

(Hippocalcin, NCI Thesaurus)

A unique symbol that establishes identity of the healthcare provider.

(Health Care Provider Identifier, NCI Thesaurus)

The changes in identity are not due to substance use or to a general medical condition.

(Dissociative Identity Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

The identity of the contrast agent.

(Contrast Agent Name, NCI Thesaurus)

Encoded by human ANP32D Gene, 131-amino acid 14.8 kD PP32R2 Protein (PP32 Family) shares approximately 90% amino acid sequence identity with tumor suppressor PP32 and PP32R1.

(ANP32D Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

Encoded by human ANP32C Gene, 234-amino acid 27 kD PP32R1 Protein (PP32 Family) shares approximately 90% amino acid sequence identity with tumor suppressor PP32 and PP32R2.

(ANP32C Protein, NCI Thesaurus)