tautology
Other forms: tautologies
Tautology is useless restatement, or saying the same thing twice using different words. “Speedy sprint" is a tautology because sprint already means "speedy running."
The noun tautology originates from the Greek word tautologos, meaning “repeating what is said.” "A pedestrian traveling on foot" is a tautology because a pedestrian, by definition, is someone who walks. In the study of logic, a tautology is a statement that is necessarily true under any interpretation and cannot be denied without introducing logical inconsistencies. "It will snow tomorrow, or it will not snow tomorrow" is an example. No argument here — it's true any way you look at it.
-
useless repetition“to say that something is `adequate enough' is a tautology”
-
type of:
-
repetitiousness, repetitiveness
verboseness resulting from excessive repetitions
-
repetitiousness, repetitiveness
-
(logic) a statement that is necessarily true“the statement `he is brave or he is not brave' is a tautology”
-
type of:
-
true statement, truth
a true statement
-
true statement, truth
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing tautology
This list of challenge words features some of the hardest words that you will encounter in the Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE. These are words that typically appear less frequently across different academic disciplines, so you are less likely to have encountered them before. Master these difficult words and watch your GRE score soar!
With his heir presumed dead, a rich man leaves his fortune to his faithful servants, who soon find that great wealth can be used for good but can also attract cheats and scoundrels. Read the full text here.
You'll be able to express yourself with style once you learn these rhetorical devices and tropes. This vocabulary list covers a wide range of techniques used in formal speech and writing, from alliteration to zeugma.
Look up tautology for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
