What does identity mean?
Identity names the set of characteristics that makes a person, group, object, or concept recognizable as itself. In everyday use, it often refers to a person's sense of who they are, their cultural or social belonging, or their continuing sense of self. It can also mean the precise identity of something: “the identity of the witness” means who the witness is, not merely a description of them. In academic and philosophical contexts, identity can refer to sameness, equality, or the relationship between things that appear to be the same. The word is therefore broader than a simple label: it includes both what distinguishes someone from others and what makes them recognizably the same person or thing over time. Its associations with culture, self-understanding, authenticity, and belonging coexist with formal uses in law, administration, and discussion of personal identity.
nounThe quality or condition of being a particular person, thing, group, or concept, especially the characteristics that distinguish it from others. Identity can also mean the fact of being the same or exactly alike.
- The qualities, characteristics, or beliefs that make a person or group recognizable as itself.
- The state or condition of being a particular person or thing.
- The fact of being the same, equal, or exactly alike.
- The precise identity or nature of something, especially when being formally established.
- A person's awareness of their own identity, including their sense of belonging and continuity over time.
"The community art project helped residents express a shared sense of identity."
"She found a strong sense of identity in her cultural heritage."
"The investigators checked the witness's identity before the interview."
Use the plural when referring to the separate identities of several people, groups, concepts, or distinct forms.
"The exhibition explores the different identities claimed by its participants."
Identity comes from the Latin idem, meaning “the same”—a fitting root for a word that asks both who we are and what makes each of us distinct.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does identity come from?
Identity comes through French from Latin identitas, a noun formed from idem, meaning “the same.” The Latin root also underlies words such as identify, identifier, and identifiable. In English, identity developed both the general sense of “sameness” and the more specific modern sense of a person's distinctive character, origins, or belonging.
Related word forms
How identity is actually used
Identity is common in both everyday and formal writing, but its abstract and philosophical senses are especially prominent in academic, legal, and psychological contexts. It can function as a count noun when referring to particular people or identities, and as a mass noun when referring to identity as a general quality.
Easily confused with identity
Identity refers to who or what someone or something is, whereas identification refers to the process or means of recognizing or establishing that person or thing.