identical twin
/aɪˈdɛntɪkəl twɪn/
NOUN
1. One of two genetically identical siblings
One of two siblings who develop from the splitting of a single fertilized egg (zygote) and therefore share virtually the same genetic material.
1.1. Genetically identical siblings
Refers to one member of a pair of twins who originate from the same fertilized egg and share the same genetic origin.
Synonyms
- monozygotic twin
- identic twin
- identical
Antonyms
- fraternal twin
- dizygotic twin
- nonidentical twin
Examples
- The reunion was a surprise when her long-lost identical twin walked through the door.
- The study compared the behavioral traits of an identical twin with those of a fraternal twin.
- The news that the famous actress had an identical twin surprised many of her fans.
Related Words
- twin
- sibling
- zygotic
- monozygotic
- genetics
- heredity
- DNA
- twinship
1.2. A person who closely resembles another
Used informally or figuratively for someone who looks remarkably like another person, resembling their appearance so closely that they could be mistaken for each other.
Synonyms
- double
- doppelganger
- look-alike
- ringer
- mirror image
- carbon copy
- clone
- spitting image
Examples
- The actor's body double looked so much like him that people thought he was his identical twin.
- Her colleague was practically her identical twin in appearance.
Related Words
- resemblance
- likeness
- counterpart
- replica
- duplicate
- similarity