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Tautological: meaning, definitions and examples

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tautological

 

[ tɔːˈtɒl.ə.ɡɪ.kəl ]

Adjective
Context #1 | Adjective

logical reasoning

Tautological refers to a statement that is true by necessity or by virtue of its logical form. In other words, it is a redundancy in expression, where the same concept is restated in different words without adding any new information. Tautological statements can often be seen as circular reasoning, where the argument leads back to itself, failing to provide any actual evidence or insight. This term is commonly used in philosophy and logic to criticize arguments that do not advance a discussion.

Synonyms

circular, redundant, repetitive

Examples of usage

  • The statement 'free gift' is tautological.
  • Saying 'it is what it is' is a tautological expression.
  • His definition of success was tautological and unhelpful.

Translations

Translations of the word "tautological" in other languages:

🇵🇹 tautológico

🇮🇳 तुलनात्मक

🇩🇪 tautologisch

🇮🇩 tautologis

🇺🇦 таутологічний

🇵🇱 tautologiczny

🇯🇵 同義語的

🇫🇷 tautologique

🇪🇸 tautológico

🇹🇷 tautolojik

🇰🇷 동의어적인

🇸🇦 تكراري

🇨🇿 tautologický

🇸🇰 tautologický

🇨🇳 同义反复的

🇸🇮 tautološki

🇮🇸 tautologískur

🇰🇿 таутологиялық

🇬🇪 ტაუტოლოგიური

🇦🇿 tautoloji

🇲🇽 tautológico

Etymology

The term 'tautological' originates from the Greek word 'tautologos', which means 'saying the same thing'. This itself is a combination of 'tauto', meaning 'the same', and 'logos', meaning 'word' or 'speech'. The concept emerged in the study of logic and language as scholars looked for ways to analyze statements and arguments for clarity and truthfulness. Over time, it has evolved into a critical term used in various fields, including linguistics, philosophy, and rhetoric, to highlight instances where communication fails to convey new information due to redundancy.

Word Frequency Rank

This word's position of #30,957 indicates it's among the more rare English words. While understanding it broadens your vocabulary, focus on more common words first.