IDENTICAL Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'identical' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of identical are equal , equivalent , same , selfsame , and very . While all these words mean "not different or not differing from one another," identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details. // identical results

Q: In what contexts can 'equal' take the place of 'identical'?

In some situations, the words equal and identical are roughly equivalent. However, equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality. // equal shares in the business

Q: When is 'equivalent' a more appropriate choice than 'identical'?

The synonyms equivalent and identical are sometimes interchangeable, but equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance. // two houses equivalent in market value

Q: How are the words 'same' and 'selfsame' related as synonyms of 'identical'?

Same may imply and selfsame always implies that the things under consideration are one thing and not two or more things. // took the same route // derived from the selfsame source

Q: How does the word 'very' relate to other synonyms for 'identical'?

Very , like selfsame , may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind. // the very point I was trying to make

identical

adjective

ī-ˈden-ti-kəl

Definition of identical

as in same

being one and not another both families wanted the identical puppy and weren't accepting the argument that its littermates were just as good

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in similar

resembling another in every respect identical dresses whose only difference is a designer label that fetches a high price

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word identical different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of identical are equal, equivalent, same, selfsame, and very. While all these words mean "not different or not differing from one another," identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details.

identical results

In what contexts can equal take the place of identical?

In some situations, the words equal and identical are roughly equivalent. However, equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality.

equal shares in the business

When is equivalent a more appropriate choice than identical?

The synonyms equivalent and identical are sometimes interchangeable, but equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance.

two houses equivalent in market value

How are the words same and selfsame related as synonyms of identical?

Same may imply and selfsame always implies that the things under consideration are one thing and not two or more things.

took the same route

derived from the selfsame source

How does the word very relate to other synonyms for identical?

Very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind.

the very point I was trying to make

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of identical Amazon hasn't established that every account will show identical editing controls. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Boneh says those efforts could help if AI discovers something unexpected, although the two threats aren’t identical. — Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026 Reducing screen time doesn’t have to mean banning social media or applying identical rules to every teenager. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 This is what the best offenses in the league entail — alternating storylines that produce identical results. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for identical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for identical

Adjective

That same month, the Republican administration claimed Nevada had 1,500 noncitizen voters on its voter rolls.

— SAFIYAH RIDDLE, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
The idea grew out of a conversation with a friend who called to wish him a happy birthday and mentioned having just finished a book about a woman executed on that same date roughly 250 years earlier.

— Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of same

Adjective

Recent court cases have used similar arguments, framing social media to judges and jurors as defective products causing children harm.

— Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Then-first lady Jill Biden pursued similar efforts to jump-start women's health research, and Biden officials in November 2023 launched their own White House effort intended to coordinate a cross-government response to boost women's health.

— Dan Diamond, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of similar

Adjective

The physiological case for a brief dunk is, by her own account, comparable.

— Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
According to Inception, Mercury 3 is more than 40 times larger than its first-generation model, Mercury 1, while maintaining comparable processing speeds.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of comparable

Adjective

Canada retaliated with its own set of near-analogous duties on more than $20 billion in American goods in early September.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
Bayzo's pub is analogous to an English tavern, with creamy cups of clam chowder and a piano likely to launch you into Elton John renditions.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of analogous

Adjective

On July 2, 2025, a burst with energy equivalent to 1,000 suns blazing for 10 billion years lit up Fermi’s detectors, heading from a dusty galaxy about eight billion light-years from Earth.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The mod could help fill a void since AMD has no DLSS 5 equivalent.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of equivalent

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idées fixes

identical

identically

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“Identical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/identical. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of identical

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