Is identify formal or informal?

It is neutral, but it is common in formal, academic, and business English.

What is the difference between identify and recognize?

Identify means to say what something is. Recognize means to know someone or something from before.

Can I say identify with someone?

Yes. It means you feel a connection with that person or their experience.

Is identify used in IELTS writing?

Yes. It is a useful academic word for problems, causes, trends, and facts.

← Dictionary

identify

/aɪˈden.tɪ.faɪ/

IELTSAcademic

verb

1.
To name a person or thing correctly, or say who or what it is. It also means to recognize someone or something you have seen before.
- Can you identify this bird?
- Police identified the suspect quickly.
- I could identify her from the photo.
2.
To find or notice the exact problem, cause, or reason. In academic and business English, this use is very common.
- We identified the main cause of the delay.
- The report identifies three risks.
- Scientists identified a new pattern in the data.
3.
To feel a connection with someone or something, or see yourself in them. This use is common in formal writing and speech.
- Many readers identify with the hero.
- She identifies strongly with the local community.
- Some students identify with the speaker's message.

Adinary Nuance

Identify is wider than recognize. You identify a person, object, or problem by saying what it is; you recognize someone when you know them from before. It is also different from name: name gives the label, while identify shows how you know or determine it. In academic writing, identify is often used for finding causes, trends, or patterns.

In other languages

Vietnamese: xác định
Spanish: identificar
Chinese: 识别
Japanese: 特定する
Korean: 식별하다

Etymology

Identify came into English in the late 16th century from Medieval Latin identificare, based on Latin idem, meaning 'the same'. The word first meant 'make the same' or 'prove identity', then developed its modern senses.

Common phrases

identify a problemidentify with someoneidentify the causeidentify a person

Synonyms

recognize name detect pinpoint

Frequently asked questions

Is identify formal or informal?: It is neutral, but it is common in formal, academic, and business English.
What is the difference between identify and recognize?: Identify means to say what something is. Recognize means to know someone or something from before.
Can I say identify with someone?: Yes. It means you feel a connection with that person or their experience.
Is identify used in IELTS writing?: Yes. It is a useful academic word for problems, causes, trends, and facts.