Definition

Noun: A composite image of a person's face, specifically one created by a police artist or technician by combining standard, pre-drawn facial features (e.g., eyes, noses, mouths) based on witness descriptions. The term originates from a proprietary kit used for this purpose.

Usage

The word "identikit" is used to refer to the resulting composite portrait itself, not the process of creating it. It is a specific term often found in news reports or discussions about police investigations. * The police released an identikit of the suspect based on the victim's description. * Witnesses helped an artist compile an identikit that led to the arrest.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively (like an adjective) to describe the method or the resulting image.
  • An identikit picture was circulated to all local news outlets.
  • The witness worked with a specialist to produce an identikit portrait.

Variants and Related Words

• Identikit picture/portrait/image: The full, more descriptive phrases for the composite.
• Photofit: A similar, trademarked system for creating composite images, often used interchangeably with "identikit" in some regions.
• Composite sketch/drawing: More generic, non-trademark terms for a manually drawn likeness based on descriptions.

Synonyms

• Composite sketch
• Police sketch
• Facial composite

Antonyms

• Photograph
• Mug shot

Related Phrases/Idioms

• To have an identikit face: An idiomatic expression used to describe a person whose appearance is very ordinary or composed of common, unmemorable features, as if assembled from standard parts.
  • He was a man with an identikit face, impossible to pick out in a crowd.

Noun

1. a likeness of a person's face constructed from descriptions given to police; uses a set of transparencies of various facial features that can be combined to build up a picture of the person sought