Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Being the exact same one; not any other: Used to emphasize that something is precisely the same and not a different one. It stresses absolute identity.

Usage

• The word "selfsame" is a formal and emphatic adjective. It is used to stress that the person or thing being referred to is the very same one mentioned before or being thought of. It is stronger than "same" and is often used in literary or formal contexts.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • We returned to the selfsame spot where we first met. (We returned to the very exact spot where we first met.)
  • He told me the selfsame story yesterday. (He told me the exact same story yesterday.)
  • This is the selfsame problem we encountered last year. (This is the identical problem we encountered last year.)

Advanced Usage

• "The selfsame...": A common structure used to introduce the identical item in a formal or emphatic way.
  • The selfsame principles apply to both cases. (The very same principles apply to both cases.)

Variants and Related Words

• Identical (adj): Exactly the same; similar in every detail.
  • The two signatures are identical.
• Very (adj, used for emphasis): Used to emphasize the exact identity of a noun.
  • You are the very person I need.

Synonyms

• Identical: Exactly alike; the same.
• Same: Not different; identical.
• Very: Used for emphasis to mean "precisely this."

Antonyms

• Different: Not the same; distinct.
• Other: A different person or thing.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• One and the same: Used to emphasize that two things or people are identical.
  • I realized the author and the illustrator were one and the same person.

Adjective

1. being the exact same one; not any other:
   • this is the identical room we stayed in before
   • the themes of his stories are one and the same
   • saw the selfsame quotation in two newspapers
   • on this very spot
   • the very thing he said yesterday
   • the very man I want to see