identity

i|den|ti|ty

W2 [aıˈdentıti] n plural identities

[Date: 1500-1600; : Late Latin; Origin: identitas, from Latin idem 'same']

1.) [U and C]

someone's identity is their name or who they 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.) [U]

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.) [U] formal

exact ↑similarity between two things

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

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)

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