Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act or process of identifying: The action of recognizing, naming, or establishing the identity of someone or something.
   • The state of being identified: The condition of having one's identity established or confirmed.
   • Something that identifies: A piece of evidence or a document that serves to establish a person's identity.
   • A psychological association: The unconscious or conscious process by which a person attributes to themselves the characteristics of another person or group.

Usage

• Identification is used to describe the process of recognizing what something is or who someone is.
• It refers to official documents like a passport or driver's license that prove who you are.
• In psychology, it describes how individuals associate themselves with others.

Examples

• Process of Recognizing:
  • The identification of the plant species took several hours.
  • Early identification of the problem prevented a major crisis.
• Proof of Identity:
  • Please bring two forms of identification to the appointment.
  • A driver's license is a common type of identification.
• Psychological Process:
  • His identification with the hero of the novel influenced his career choice.

Advanced Usage

• "Identification with": A feeling of sympathy, support, or close association with a person, group, or cause.
  • Her strong identification with the community led her to volunteer.
• "Positive identification": A definitive and conclusive establishment of identity.
  • The witness made a positive identification of the suspect in the lineup.

Variants and Related Words

• Identify (verb): To establish or indicate who or what someone or something is.
  • Can you identify the person in this photograph?
• Identifier (noun): A person or thing that identifies.
  • A username is a unique identifier for your account.
• Identifiable (adjective): Able to be recognized or distinguished.
  • The car was badly damaged but still identifiable.

Synonyms

• Recognition: The action of identifying someone or something from previous encounters or knowledge.
• Authentication: The process of proving that something is genuine or valid.
• Designation: The action of choosing someone or something for a specific role or purpose.

Related Phrases

• Identification card (ID card): A card bearing personal details or a photograph, used to verify a person's identity.
  • All employees must wear their identification cards.
• Identification parade: A group of people, including a suspect, assembled so a witness can try to identify the suspect (also called a lineup).
  • The suspect stood in the identification parade.

Related Idioms

• "To make an identification": To successfully recognize and name someone or something.
  • The victim was able to make a clear identification of her attacker.

Noun

1. the attribution to yourself (consciously or unconsciously) of the characteristics of another person (or group of persons)
2. the process of recognizing something or someone by remembering
   • a politician whose recall of names was as remarkable as his recognition of faces
   • experimental psychologists measure the elapsed time from the onset of the stimulus to its recognition by the observer
3. the condition of having the identity (of a person or object) established
   • the thief's identification was followed quickly by his arrest
   • identification of the gun was an important clue
4. evidence of identity; something that identifies a person or thing
5. the act of designating or identifying something