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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During practice in Oakland, players with Soccer Without Borders run through drills focused on repetition, conditioning and teamwork.—
Loureen Ayyoub,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
Rossetto’s approach is characteristically dry, drawing emotional depth from repetition and the layering of recordings rather than abstract manipulations of sound.—
Levi Dayan,
Pitchfork,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Remaining on stage with gracious verbalism, Batiste first acknowledged the nominees.—
Allison Hazel,
Essence,
9 June 2021
Noun
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The repetitiveness of the plot is not helped by the many montages writer-director Yandy Laurens uses as shortcuts, instead of writing scenes that show how the central relationship is developing.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Keeping circularity at the center, the exhibition was also created in partnership with resale site Le Bon Coin, so that objects such as a clawfoot bathtub used for the installation will be resold.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
12 June 2026
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Applicants may interpret topics such as climate justice, corporate greenwashing, Indigenous rights, material innovation, wildlife and biodiversity, waste and pollution, grassroots activism, recycling and circularity, and the physical and mental impacts of the climate crisis.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
6 June 2026
Noun
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Given the dramatic manner in which the hulking piers marched down the center of the institution’s narrow corridor, flanked by the photographer’s three-inch-square Polaroids, hung as if in awed supplication, the effect verged on hyperbole, the gnomic ceding to the grandiose.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Yes, some of this may be hyperbole.—
Sen. Elizabeth Warren,
Time,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Residents have offered several suggestions for cuts, including reducing pensions, slashing commissioners' salaries in half, cutting the city manager's salary, eliminating staff redundancy, getting rid of take-home cars, and pausing park upgrades without public input.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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If the affected systems had been designed with resilience principles in mind, like geographic redundancy and continuous backups, then the loss of data could have been mitigated.—
Leonard Lim,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tautology.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tautology. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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