tautology

C2 Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /tɔˈtɑl.ə.d͡ʒi/ UK /toːˈtɔl.ə.d͡ʒi/ See IPA manual

Freq #115891

Meanings

1

noun
useless repetition

To say that something is `adequate enough' is a tautology.
2

noun
a statement that is necessarily true

The statement 'You are brave or you are not brave' is a tautology.
3

noun
Redundant use of words, a pleonasm, an unnecessary and tedious repetition.

It is tautology to say, "Forward Planning".
4

noun
An expression that features tautology.

The expression "raze to the ground" is a tautology, since the word "raze" includes the notion "to the ground".

Thesaurus

Opposites

contradiction oxymoron

Word family

Derived forms tautological tautologicallytautologisetautologisttautologoustautologously

Related forms pleonasmredundancy

Etymology

From Late Latin tautologia, from Ancient Greek ταὐτολογία (tautología) from ταὐτός (tautós, “the same”) + λόγος (lógos, “explanation”). By surface analysis, tauto- + -logy.

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# tautology

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /tɔˈtɑl.ə.d͡ʒi/
**IPA (UK):** /toːˈtɔl.ə.d͡ʒi/
**Frequency rank:** 115891

## Meanings
1. useless repetition
2. a statement that is necessarily true
3. Redundant use of words, a pleonasm, an unnecessary and tedious repetition.
4. An expression that features tautology.

## Examples
- To say that something is `adequate enough' is a tautology.
- The statement 'You are brave or you are not brave' is a tautology.
- It is tautology to say, "Forward Planning".
- The expression "raze to the ground" is a tautology, since the word "raze" includes the notion "to the ground".

## Antonyms
- contradiction
- oxymoron

## Derived Forms
- tautological
- tautologically
- tautologise
- tautologist
- tautologous
- tautologously

## Related Forms
- pleonasm
- redundancy

## Etymology
From Late Latin tautologia, from Ancient Greek ταὐτολογία (tautología) from ταὐτός (tautós, “the same”) + λόγος (lógos, “explanation”). By surface analysis, tauto- + -logy.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

markdown