Skip to main content
identity

identity

15 6.5
A number that does not change other numbers in a math operation
  • noun
  • /aɪˈdɛntɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : identidad
  • The matrix acts as the identity in the equation, meaning it does not alter the vector when multiplied.
  • sequence identity
  • Nucleotide identity
  • amino acid identity

It is positive definite, of course, just the identity with a factor.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • How about a multiple of the identity plus rank one?

  • It's called a ring with identity, a ring with identity.

  • As subjects' minutes of exercise per week increased, the level of Exercise Identity also increased.

    Academic text (1995)
  • By contrast, the Lagrangian perspective is concerned with the identity of individual fluid elements.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Overall, however, the results lend the greatest support to the identity-analytic interpretation.

    Academic text (1996)
  • A sense of identity.

  • Accounting equations and identities constitute most of the computational components of the model.

    Academic text (1991)
  • What remains consistent with the passage of time is the definitional identity of the characteristic. (p. 159).

    Academic text (1998)
  • In this way, it foreshadows Leibniz's conception of identity, i.e., sameness in terms of sameness of all qualities.

    Academic text (1991)
  • In mathematics, the identity element for addition is zero, as adding zero to a number leaves it unchanged.

Synonyms

equivalence
vsidentity
18 6.2

A situation where two things have the same value, meaning, or effect

is about exact sameness or an unchanged element rather than broad interchangeability
sameness
vsidentity
10 4.2

A lack of change or variety in daily life

is the precise mathematical idea of an unchanged element or exact equality
equivalency
vsidentity
  • Formal
5 6.7

Being equal in value, amount, or function

focuses on exact sameness or an unchanged element not just equal amount
invariant
vsidentity
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A quantity that stays the same when you change a system, often in math or physics

is the broader notion including also an unchanged element or exact sameness
invariance
vsidentity
  • Specialized
1 9.0

Something that stays the same while other things change

is the wider idea covering an unchanged element and exact equality
immutability
vsidentity
1 8.5

A state of not changing over time

relates to being unchanged over time rather than causing no change to others
identity element
vsidentity
  • Specialized
9.1

An element that leaves other elements unchanged when used with an operation, like 0 for addition or 1 for multiplication

covers both an unchanged element and the state of exact sameness
identity operator
vsidentity
  • Specialized
8.6

A rule that returns the same thing you put in

covers both operators and the general state of exact sameness
identicalness
vsidentity
6.2

The state of being exactly the same in every way

includes the element notion that leaves others unchanged under an operation
9.9

A situation when you cannot tell two things apart

refers to exact sameness or an element leaving others unchanged
immutableness
vsidentity
9.9

A state of not changing over time

is about exact sameness or an element that leaves others unchanged instead

Antonyms

1.0

A change that makes something better

Compounds

Using someone else's personal details without permission to steal money or pretend to be them

20 4.9

A person's real self, not the face they show others

A time when a person feels unsure about who they are or where they fit

A person's inner feeling about being male, female, both, or neither

identity card
  • Formal
6 1.3

An official card with your name and photo that shows who you are

The set of things that make a person different and stay the same over time

1 2.7

A document that shows who you are, like a passport or driver's licence

1 7.2

A line of people arranged by police so a witness can pick a suspect

identity verification
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A process of checking documents or fingerprints to confirm someone really is who they say they are

9.9

A way people see themselves that mixes Chinese and African American ways of life, like style and speech

9.9

A strong, often joking sexual interest in guns

lesbionic identity
  • Neologism
9.9

Feeling and living as a lesbian in your social life and culture

identity element
  • Specialized
9.1

An element that leaves other elements unchanged when used with an operation, like 0 for addition or 1 for multiplication

identity matrix
  • Specialized
6.7

A square table of numbers with ones on the diagonal and zeros elsewhere that acts like one when multiplying matrices

identity operator
  • Specialized
8.6

A rule that returns the same thing you put in

8.8

Telling people they must act a certain way because of race or gender

A way of describing sexual attraction that includes many different orientations beyond common labels

How Aligned

identity
  • Specialized
15 6.5
agreement
361 1.0
congruence
2 6.7
similarity
157 2.7
difference
1.0
disagreement
268 1.6
contradiction
117 4.3

Surface Forms

identity singular
identities plural

Morphology

identity = identical (transparent) = ident + ity

The mathematical sense ('sameness' or an element that leaves something unchanged) directly reflects the core meaning of 'ident' + the abstract noun '-ity'.

Etymology

Identity comes from Latin idem 'the same', and in maths it means something that leaves a value 'unchanged', for example 1 in multiplication does not change a number. That is why a mathematical identity is an element or rule that keeps things the same.