/ aɪˈdentəti; NAmE / noun ( pl. -ies )
1.
[ C , U ] ( abbr. ID ) who or what sb/sth is :
The police are trying to discover the identity of the killer.
Their identities were kept secret.
She is innocent; it was a case of mistaken identity .
Do you have any proof of identity?
The thief used a false identity.
She went through an identity crisis in her teens (= was not sure of who she was or of her place in society) .
2.
[ C , U ] the characteristics, feelings or beliefs that distinguish people from others :
a sense of national / cultural / personal / group identity
a plan to strengthen the corporate identity of the company
3.
[ U ] identity (with sb/sth) | identity (between A and B) the state or feeling of being very similar to and able to understand sb/sth :
an identity of interests
There's a close identity between fans and their team.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent. (in the sense quality of being identical ): from late Latin identitas , from Latin idem same.