Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Late Latin
Origin: identitas, from Latin idem 'same'

identity

 noun
     
i‧den‧ti‧ty W2 plural identities
1 [uncountable and countable] someone's identity is their name or who they areCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
somebody's identity/the identity of somebody know somebody's identity disclose/reveal somebody's identity hide/conceal somebody's identity discover somebody's identity protect somebody's identity (=make sure no one finds out who someone is) false identity (=when someone pretends to be another person) (a case of) mistaken identity (=when you think someone is a different person) somebody's true identity (=who someone really is) proof of identity (=something that proves you are who you say you are) identity papers/documents (=documents that show you are who you say you are)
The identity of the killer is still unknown.
He maintained he did not know the identity of the woman.
Why did she need to conceal her identity?
Police are trying to discover the identity of a baby found by the side of a road.
They will testify behind a screen in order to protect their identities.
She applied for a teaching job under a false identity.
One theory was that the attack was a case of mistaken identity.
Journalists should have to produce proof of identity.
2 [uncountable] the qualities and attitudes that a person or group of people have, that make them different from other people:
Children need continuity, security, and a sense of identity.
Travelling alone can lead to a loss of identity.
national/cultural/social etc identity (=a strong feeling of belonging to a particular group, race etc)
Our strong sense of national identity has been shaped by our history.
identity crisis/crisis of identity (=a feeling of uncertainty about who you really are and what your purpose is)
My father experienced an identity crisis in middle age.
3 [uncountable] formal exact similarity between two things
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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