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
-
What is exhausted is repetition without thought.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The repetition doesn’t conjure stasis so much as the struggle to find a way forward.—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Remaining on stage with gracious verbalism, Batiste first acknowledged the nominees.—
Allison Hazel,
Essence,
9 June 2021
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
Noun
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Reju’s project is closely aligned with NIKI’s goals to accelerate large-scale industrial decarbonization and circularity.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
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One area that leading mills hope will remain resilient is the denim industry’s commitment to circularity and recycled cotton.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Parodies, comedies, satire, sarcasm, hyperbole.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The New York Jets live in a world of hyperbole, where moments and words get exaggerated beyond the point of their original meaning.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Despite all the preparations, safety systems and redundancies, the nature of human spaceflight is inherently risky, some experts told ABC News.—
Briana Alvarado,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The design uses hydrogen as the primary fuel with a small amount of heavy fuel oil as pilot ignition, a configuration chosen for redundancy in early commercial applications.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tautology.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tautology. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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