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truism

noun
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tru·​ism | \ ˈtrü-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce truism (audio) \

Definition of truism

: an undoubted or self-evident truth especially : one too obvious for mention
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Other Words from truism

truistic \ trü-​ˈi-​stik How to pronounce truistic (audio) \ adjective

Examples of truism in a Sentence

ended his letter with the overused truism, “You can't win them all!”
Recent Examples on the Web Lean on your favorite truism: Defense wins championships. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: Predicting Super Bowl LIV and what Reds should do after Suarez injury," 30 Jan. 2020 Readers are left instead with vague truisms about American social mobility. — Lucy Tiven, Washington Post, "Scholars have dismissed debutante balls, but ‘The Season’ digs in to the strange, fascinating history," 22 Dec. 2019 The last, and maybe most important, truism of January at the gym? — Caille Millner, SFChronicle.com, "Gyms jam-packed now — luckily, not for long," 17 Jan. 2020 Prison -- as is often the truism -- most likely changed him. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, "How ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became a feared preacher of hate," 27 Oct. 2019 This may seem like a truism: Bigger divisions move the needle more. — Washington Post, "Big Oil’s Big Issue With Embracing ‘Big Energy’," 20 Sep. 2019 Kopf Podcast Type: Seasonal Category: True crime/investigation Titles: Over My Dead Body: Tally and The City: Reno (tied) Casties award: Best use of local reporters It’s unfortunately becoming a truism that local journalism is struggling. — Holly Ojalvo, Quartz, "The 3rd annual Quartz Casties: Our favorite podcasts of 2019," 22 Dec. 2019 There’s a truism in tech-industry investing that parallels the adage about a waddling creature that walks and quacks like a duck very likely being one. — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, "The Great Bike-Sharing Collapse of China," 10 Dec. 2019 Yes, for years these two truisms have been in conflict. — David Pierce, WSJ, "Tech That Will Change Your Life in 2019," 30 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'truism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of truism

1714, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for truism

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The first known use of truism was in 1714

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Statistics for truism

Last Updated

20 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Truism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truism. Accessed 25 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for truism

truism

noun
How to pronounce truism (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of truism

: a true statement that is very commonly heard : a common statement that is obviously true

See the full definition for truism in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on truism

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for truism

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with truism

Spanish Central: Translation of truism

Nglish: Translation of truism for Spanish Speakers

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