repetitive

adjective

re·​pet·​i·​tive ri-ˈpe-tə-tiv 

1

: repetitious

2

: containing repetition

repetitively adverb

repetitiveness noun

Synonyms of repetitive

• redundant
• repetitious
• reiterative
• duplicative

Examples of repetitive in a Sentence

an injury caused by repetitive wrist movements

She left the job because the work was too repetitive.

At the risk of being repetitive, I must remind you again to be careful.

Recent Examples on the Web

Take a pitcher whose throwing shoulder becomes restricted from repetitive overuse. —Dana Santas, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026

The strong middle of the season helps The Testaments overcome its repetitive and mechanical beginnings, building to a shocking (if not wholly earned) penultimate episode — that’s then undone by a return to the Handmaid’s Tale Redux predictability of the finale. —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026

My Lover, the Rabbi unfolds in short chapters, with a rhapsodic, repetitive voice that echoes the work of the 20th-century Austrian madman Thomas Bernhard. —Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026

Batch processing also helps reduce repetitive work when handling multiple files. —Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing repetitive

• repetitive strain injury

Rhymes for repetitive

• appetitive
• competitive
• anticompetitive
• noncompetitive
• uncompetitive

Kids Definition

repetitive

adjective

re·​pet·​i·​tive ri-ˈpet-ət-iv 

: repetitious

repetitively adverb

repetitiveness noun