# identical

Pronunciation: US say "i-DEN-ti-kuhl" /ɪˈdɛntɪkl̩/; UK

## Adjective

1. Exactly alike, having all the same features, so that one cannot be told apart from the other.
   - Simple: Exactly the same as something else, with no difference you can see.
   - _The forger produced a signature identical to the one on the original deed._
   - _Both engines were built to identical specifications in the same factory._
2. Being one and the same; the very same thing rather than merely a similar or separate one.
   - Simple: Being the very same one, not a different or separate thing.
   - _Investigators established that the two ledger entries pointed to one identical account._
   - _The author and the mysterious reviewer proved to be the identical man._
3. Of twins, developed from a single fertilized egg and sharing the same genetic code.
   - Simple: Of twins, born from one egg and sharing the same genes.
   - _Researchers studied identical siblings to separate the effects of genes from upbringing._
   - _Because the brothers were identical, even close relatives mixed them up._
4. Exactly equivalent, having the same value or form in every respect.
   - Simple: Exactly equal, with no difference in value at all.
   - _The two functions are identical wherever both are defined._
   - _Rewriting the formula showed that the cost models were identical._

## Noun

5. A twin who shares the same genetic code as their sibling.
   - Simple: One of a pair of twins who share the same genes.
   - _As an identical, he could pass for his brother on the phone with ease._
   - _Researchers compared identicals with fraternals to see how much of the trait was inherited._
6. A thing that shares exactly the same properties as another, with no difference between them.
   - Simple: A thing that has exactly the same properties as another thing.
   - _He argued that no genuine identical of an object can be found anywhere in nature._
   - _If two particles are perfect identicals, what could possibly make them two and not one?_
7. A rhyme in which the rhyming syllable is exactly the same sound, such as 'leave' and 'believe'.
   - Simple: A rhyme that repeats the very same end sound, as in 'leave' and 'believe'.
   - _The poet leaned on an identical, pairing a word with its own near-echo for effect._
   - _Strict editors flagged the stanza's identicals and asked for sharper rhymes instead._

## Adjective

8. Coming very close to exact equivalence without quite reaching it. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Almost exactly the same, but not perfectly so.
   - _The lab reported identical readings, though a faint gap showed at the third decimal._
   - _To the casual ear the two performances were identical, differing only in a whisper of tempo._

## Origin

Formed from "identic" with the suffix "-al".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/identical (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).