1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

tautology

noun

Definition of tautologynext
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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tautology This tautology arguably lies at the very heart of Duckworth’s book. — Meghan O’Gieblyn, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tautology
  1. repetition
  2. verbalism
  3. repetitiveness
  4. circularity
  5. hyperbole
  6. redundancy
Noun
  • Why At a time when images are constantly produced and quickly forgotten, this open call invites artists to create work that resists repetition, holds attention, and makes something felt.
    — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Not only do these dramatic repetitions yield diminishing returns, Hicks also seems to run out of ways to answer with any kind of surprising modulation.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of repetition
Noun
  • Remaining on stage with gracious verbalism, Batiste first acknowledged the nominees.
    — Allison Hazel, Essence, 9 June 2021
Definition of verbalism
Noun
  • 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
Definition of repetitiveness
Noun
  • The findings of the report demonstrate the shifts made by the brands that are capturing value from circularity rather than just complying.
    — Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • There's a second-order problem layered on top, which is the circularity of the deals themselves.
    — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of circularity
Noun
  • You might be tempted to label it pull-quote hyperbole had the Oscar-winning documentarian put this particular testimonial near the beginning of his two-part, four-hour movie.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Such is the relentless hyperbole of the book that the title seems to want an exclamation point.
    — Nick Holdstock, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of hyperbole
Noun
  • Those that do begin shedding genes as evolution sorts through the redundancy.
    — Carrie Arnold Contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Feeds would be digitized and sent to multiple data centers for redundancy.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of redundancy

Browse Nearby Words

tautologous
tautology
tavern
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tautology.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tautology. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tautology

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tautology

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of facsimile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All