identified

8 synonyms for identified, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — The past tense and past participle of identify: to have recognised or established who or what someone or something is.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

named determined

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

spotted flagged detected highlighted

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

recognised pinpointed

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

The past tense and past participle of identify: to have recognised or established who or what someone or something is.

“Police have identified the man arrested on Sunday.”

recognised pinpointed named determined

2. verb

To have singled something out as significant — a problem, a risk, an opportunity — after examining a situation.

“The audit identified serious weaknesses in the payment system.”

spotted flagged detected highlighted

How to use identified

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

identified as identified with have been identified identified a problem correctly identified

Neutral. Heavy in reports, research and news writing, often in the passive: has been identified as.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between identified and recognised?

Recognised means you knew something on sight, from prior familiarity. Identified means you established what it was, often through examination, comparison or evidence. A witness recognises a friend; a forensic team identifies a body.

What does identified as mean?

It means someone described or classified themselves as belonging to a particular group — a nationality, religion, gender, political leaning or any other category. It reports how the person themselves answered, not an outside judgement, which is why surveys use it.

What is the difference between identified with and identified as?

Identified with means you felt sympathy or a sense of shared experience: I identified with her frustration. Identified as means you stated a category you belong to: he identified as a socialist. The first is about empathy, the second about self-description.

People also searched

named determined spotted detected highlighted flagged recognised

Nearby words

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