repetitive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of repetitive
First recorded in 1830–40; from Latin repetīt(us) “attacked again” (past participle of repetere “to attack again, demand return of”; see repeat) + -ive
Explanation
Something that is repetitive involves doing the same thing over and over again. If you get bored running on a treadmill daily, you might try something less repetitive, like playing soccer outdoors. Anything you do repeatedly, especially when it's boring, can be described using the adjective repetitive. Jobs like loading and unloading a dishwasher, filing papers, and cleaning a bathroom can all feel repetitive when you have to do them regularly. A story your dad tells every time you have guests for dinner is repetitive, and a droning song that repeats the same chorus again and again is repetitive too.
Vocabulary lists containing repetitive
The Amber Spyglass
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"Journeys," Vocabulary from Lesson 3
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Boring
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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.
Repetitive as his jokes get, he’s terrific when his battery runs low, forcing him to wobble hungover-like through a kitchen before plopping face-first in a dog bowl.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Repetitive storytelling is one of the major things that I wanted.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2024
Repetitive images, symbols, language, metaphors, and overall discourse affect what people take for granted, while also shaping how they perceive and interpret information.
From Salon • Sep. 5, 2023
"Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression may be used with normal arrangements for clinical governance and audit."
From BBC • May 18, 2023
Repetitive, rhythmic, regular, austere, this was a conveyer belt of a chemical, the nylon of the biochemical world.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
