repetitious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of repetitious
1665–75; < Latin repetīt ( us ) (past participle of repetere to repeat ) + -ious
Explanation
Something repetitious gets said or done over and over again in a similar way. If you play your favorite song on repeat during your party, your guests are likely to demand to hear something less repetitious. The adjective repetitious is another way to say repetitive, and both words (along with repeat) share the Latin root repetere, "do or say again." A repetitious poem repeats the same words so many times that it becomes a little dull, and a repetitious argument is more likely to irritate your parents than convince them.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But even random codes have an obvious vulnerability: Repetitious use of the same code groups in messages enables codebreakers to tease out their meaning from context or position.
From Slate • Oct. 10, 2017
Repetitious talk did not bother Thompson; he was used to it.
From Time Magazine Archive
Repetitious people bored him and the commonplace offended him; unfortunately for Rabin, both these qualities are not exactly in short supply in Washington.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
