as in repetition
a statement in which you repeat a word, idea, etc., in a way that is not necessary
"A beginner who has just started" is a tautology.
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Recent Examples of tautology
That tautology, in the age of Trump, is now a matter of judicial precedent.
—
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
Saying ‘Hungary is for Hungarians’ or ‘America is for Americans’ is a tautology.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Sadaf spouts a tautology — faith as faith — that also holds for patriotism.
—Armond White, National Review, 22 Jan. 2025
Yes, a win is a win, but tautologies aside, for the Niners, a win with Purdy playing like one of the finest quarterbacks in the NFL on Sunday would speak volumes.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
The goal was to market something in every category, which led to the occasional tautology.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
Saying ‘Hungary is for Hungarians’ or ‘America is for Americans’ is a tautology.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Sadaf spouts a tautology — faith as faith — that also holds for patriotism.
—Armond White, National Review, 22 Jan. 2025
Yes, a win is a win, but tautologies aside, for the Niners, a win with Purdy playing like one of the finest quarterbacks in the NFL on Sunday would speak volumes.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
The goal was to market something in every category, which led to the occasional tautology.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tautology
Noun
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The repetition of that mythic version has buttressed the belief that the fight for American independence was an event somehow separate from world history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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Recurring gags, like one with Madonna suddenly falling asleep mid-sentence, are surprising and therefore funny the first time they’re rolled out, and then less surprising and therefore less funny with each repetition.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Remaining on stage with gracious verbalism, Batiste first acknowledged the nominees.—
Allison Hazel,
Essence,
9 June 2021
Noun
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Mud Jeans has made a name for itself in circularity.—
Carved,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Nov. 2025
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Its latest product release, called Freedom, is also Thermore’s best case study in circularity.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The thirst for electricity is so heavy that companies with any excess power can, without much hyperbole, essentially name their price.—
Brian Sullivan,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
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And that is, in part, why Tesla, in its pivot to become an AI and robotics company, is leaning into hyperbole.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Amazon is reportedly planning to lay a new subsea fiber optic cable across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean in a bid to add more capacity and redundancy to its network.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Each rotor operates independently, providing redundancy in the event of motor failure.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tautology.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tautology. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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