Meaning of identity in English

identity

noun [ C or U ]

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/aɪˈden.tə.ti/ us

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/aɪˈden.t̬ə.t̬i/

who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group that make them different from others:

The man's identity was being kept secret while he was helping police with enquiries.

I cannot reveal the identity of my source.

The informant was given a new identity (= a different name and new official documents) for protection.

The newspaper photo apparently showed him in Rome but it was a case of mistaken identity (= it was the wrong person).

In prison people often suffer from a loss of identity.

I think my job gives me a sense of identity.

More examples

He was quite certain about his attacker's identity.
He assumed a false identity in order to escape from the police.
To conceal his identity, the man's words are being read by an actor.
Through a process of deduction , the detectives discovered the identity of the killer.
Australia has its own cultural identity, which is very different from that of Britain.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Mind and personality

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(Definition of identity from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

identity | American Dictionary

identity

noun [ C ]

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/ɑɪˈden·tɪ·t̬i/

identity noun [C] (person)

who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group that make them different from others:

[ U ] As a journalist she refuses to reveal the identity of her source.

identity noun [C] (mathematical statement)

algebra

an equation (= mathematical statement) that is true for every value given to a variable (= number that can change)

(Definition of identity from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

identity | Business English

identity

noun [ C or U ]

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/aɪˈdentəti/ us

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plural identities

the reputation, characteristics, etc. of a person or organization that makes the public think about them in a particular way:

Companies often spend a fortune on branding in their attempts to communicate their identity.

who a person is, or information that proves who a person is, for example, their name and date of birth:

When applying for a driver license or identification card, you must provide proof of your identity.

confirm/prove your identity You may be asked to confirm your identity by phone.

Examples of identity

identity

It also suggests that traditional ways of telling the story overlook what sustains ordinary folk intent on finding religious meaning and identity.

From Cambridge English Corpus

A two-tiered transcription regulation mechanism that protects germ cell identity.

From Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from the Cambridge English Corpus and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

More examples Fewer examples

Some returned to join another garden on a false identity.

From Cambridge English Corpus

Each of these (identity matching and supramodal representations) is based on the assumption that integration of vision and hearing occurs within the observer.

From Cambridge English Corpus

In so doing, he treats the parties' identities as having been established.

From Cambridge English Corpus

It fails to demonstrate how identity constrains paths to social reform.

From Cambridge English Corpus

In both of these situations, social subjects enact authentication by historicizing their identities through claims of linguistic continuity with a valued past.

From Cambridge English Corpus

In the second case, person is a bundle of his or her social identities, affiliations, and roles.

From Cambridge English Corpus

The paper examines the contribution that gender roles and identities make to the overall configuration of resources available to particular individuals.

From Cambridge English Corpus

They selfassessed quality of performance, importance to one's identity and satisfaction in their family roles.

From Cambridge English Corpus

If the identity of the nearest competitor is important, then the margin of victory over this competitor should be a significant constraint on expenditure decisions.

From Cambridge English Corpus

Identity is certainly a tricky issue; one that appears to mean different things to different people.

From Cambridge English Corpus

Coherence can be partially ensured if different semantic identities are based on similar structural characteristics.

From Cambridge English Corpus

Accounts of taking charge and assertions of robust identities tended to dominate the early interviews.

From Cambridge English Corpus

The identity of the authors whose work was targeted in this way is even more intriguing.

From Cambridge English Corpus

Collocations with identity

identity

These are words often used in combination with identity.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

aspect of identity

The travails of one meso-scale aspect of identity, ethnicity, are instructive.

From Cambridge English Corpus

civic identity

And the effort to discern and preserve civic identity is a defining task of politics.

From Cambridge English Corpus

collective identity

This consciousness is historically grounded, giving recognition and value to a form of society and collective identity which predates the nation-state.

From Cambridge English Corpus

See all collocations with identity