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
The messianic claims of AI’s biggest stakeholders are tautologies: Generative AI will transform civilization; therefore, we must be empowered to steer it in the right direction.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 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
In this tautology, the act of spending is proof that the spending is justified.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 17 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
In other words, the industry is asking the world to engage in something like a trillion-dollar tautology: AI’s world-transformative potential justifies spending any amount of resources, because its evangelists will spend any amount to make AI transform the world.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 29 July 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
The messianic claims of AI’s biggest stakeholders are tautologies: Generative AI will transform civilization; therefore, we must be empowered to steer it in the right direction.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 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
In this tautology, the act of spending is proof that the spending is justified.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 17 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
In other words, the industry is asking the world to engage in something like a trillion-dollar tautology: AI’s world-transformative potential justifies spending any amount of resources, because its evangelists will spend any amount to make AI transform the world.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 29 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tautology
Noun
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The dog learns through repetition and rewards to associate smell with a person and follow the scent, building up in distance and the scent’s duration.—
Jan Goldsmith,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 May 2025
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And after 46 days competing, the contest – the largest online chess game ever held, according to Chess.com – ended in a draw after 32 moves when the public forced a threefold repetition in a queen endgame to earn a half-point for either side.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
21 May 2025
Noun
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That’s not hyperbole: Science says that linen truly is the most comfortable fabric to wear in warm temps—even more so than cotton or silk.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
31 May 2025
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The dialogue was undoubtedly meant as light-hearted hyperbole, but given how much the racial roots of country have been part of that national discourse recently, it was understandably seen by many viewers as a failure to read the larger room.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
28 May 2025
Noun
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Include data cleaning, validation, backups, redundancies, access controls and compliance protocols.—
Akram Atallah,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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Add in the ownership — the fact that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been so involved, another round of redundancies, the mood around Carrington and Old Trafford, how that creeps into what the players are feeling on the pitch.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tautology.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tautology. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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