identifier

identifier — noun

1. a name, number, or other symbol that is assigned to a person, item, or set of in

1.nounB2
Definition

a name, number, or other symbol that is assigned to a person, item, or set of information so that it can be recognised or referred to separately from others

Example

Every digital file on the server received a unique identifier to track its location.

unique identifier + purpose clause (so that...)

Arjun linked the patient's records to a single identifier across all hospital departments.

identifier + prepositional phrase (across [departments])

Common collocations
  • unique identifier
  • user identifier
  • digital identifier
  • personal identifier
  • file identifier
  • identifier code
  • identifier number
Synonyms
  • ID

    shorter, informal form; very common in everyday speech and writing

  • code

    often shorter and may use only numbers or letters without a descriptive name

  • label

    suggests a human-readable name or tag, often less technical

  • key

    implies the identifier is used to look up or access a record in a database

Grammar Patterns

a/an + adjective + identifier

identifier + for/of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Most common in computing and data-management contexts, where an identifier is a label (often a string of letters, numbers, or both) assigned to a file, user, record, or digital object. Outside computing, the word can also refer to any name or number used for official identification, such as a tax identifier or personal ID number.

Common Mistakes

Please enter your identity to log in.
Please enter your identifier to log in.
'identity' means who you are; 'identifier' is the code or name used to recognise you.
I forgot my identificator for the system.
I forgot my identifier for the system.
'identificator' is not standard English; use 'identifier' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Identifier is the broadest of these terms, covering any symbol, name, or number assigned for recognition. ID is merely a shortening of 'identification' and is very common in informal and spoken contexts ('show your ID at the door'). Code often implies a shorter or more cryptic form, such as a barcode or area code, and may use only digits. Key is a computing term for a value used to retrieve a database record, suggesting lookup functionality rather than visual recognition. Tag implies something physically or logically attached to an item, like a price tag or a metadata tag on a photo. When speaking generally, identifier works everywhere; when the context is a database, key is more specific; for a short alphanumeric string, code may fit best.

ID ↗code ↗key ↗tag ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • identifier system
  • identifier number
  • identifier code
  • identifier type

Phrases

  • assign an identifier
  • create an identifier
  • use an identifier
  • link to an identifier
  • serve as an identifier

Prepositions

  • identifier for
  • identifier of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'idem' (the same) combined with '-ficare' (to make) to form 'identificare' (to make the same, to identify). The suffix '-er' (one that does something) was then added in English. The word first appeared in the mid-1700s, but its modern computing sense — a symbol or string used to label data — became common with the rise of digital systems in the 1960s.