identically

IPA/aɪˈdentɪkli/
IPA/aɪˈdentɪkli/

identically — adverb

1. leaving no difference whatsoever between two or more people or things in how the

1.adverbB2
Definition

leaving no difference whatsoever between two or more people or things in how they appear, behave, or are done

Example

The twins were dressed identically, so their classmates could not tell them apart.

collocation: dressed identically

Both reports described the accident identically, leaving no doubt about what happened.

Common collocations
  • dressed identically
  • treated identically
  • behave identically
  • laid out identically
  • look identically
  • function identically
  • priced identically
  • worded identically
Synonyms
  • exactly

    broader; 'exactly' can emphasise precision in many contexts, while 'identically' specifically means two or more things match each other

  • uniformly

    suggests consistent application across items, often in formal or technical contexts

  • alike

    less formal and can serve as an adverb or adjective; 'alike' often focuses on similarity rather than perfect sameness

Antonyms

Usage Note

Commonly paired with verbs of appearance or arrangement such as dress, look, behave, treat, or lay out. 'Identically' draws attention to the total correspondence between two or more items.

Common Mistakes

The twins were dressed same.
The twins were dressed identically.
'Same' is an adjective, not an adverb; 'identically' is the adverb form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

'Exactly' is the broadest of the three and focuses on precision ('exactly 3 o'clock'), not necessarily a comparison between two things. 'Uniformly' carries a more technical or formal tone and suggests consistency across a group ('the rules were applied uniformly'). 'Alike' overlaps with 'identically' in informal use ('the sisters look alike') but can allow for near-similarity; 'identically' asserts perfect, detail-level match. For example: two machines may behave alike (similar patterns) but only if they behave identically (same output under same input) do they function as exact copies.

exactly ↗uniformly ↗alike ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • identically to

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinFrenchEnglish

Derived from the adjective 'identical', which comes from the Medieval Latin 'identicus' ('the same'), itself from Latin 'idem' ('the same'). The '-ly' suffix forms the adverb.

First known use

1625

1625, in the meaning defined above