tautological

American  

[tawt-l-oj-i-kuhl] / ˌtɔt lˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl /

Also tautologous sometimes tautologic

adjective

1. (of a phrase) needlessly repetitive without adding information or clarity.

   Third-world communist regimes, with tautological insistence, call themselves "people's democracies."

2. (especially in logic) defined in terms of itself.

   Some would argue that the phrase ''survival of the fittest'' is tautological, in that the fittest are defined as those that survive to reproduce.

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Other Word Forms

• nontautological adjective
• nontautologically adverb
• tautologically adverb
• tautologously adverb
• untautological adjective
• untautologically adverb

Etymology

Origin of tautological

tautolog(y) ( def. ) + -ical ( def. )

Explanation

Something tautological is redundant and circular, especially when talking about logic. "Logical things are logical" is a tautological sentence. We use the word tautological for statements that go in a circle, like this sentence: "A circle is circular." This is a logical problem, because it doesn't make sense to define something in terms of itself. If you don't know what a fish is, then "fish are fishy" means nothing. When you're trying to make a point, avoid tautological statements.

Example Sentences

Attempting to define this unique, curvilinear object is a tautological exercise.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2022

She cheesily attempted to brand the disruptions as “getting Loomered,” which seemed tautological: She was doing these things to herself.

From Slate • Aug. 19, 2020

And this is how blue whale has become trapped within a tautological circle of specialization: it needs to be big enough in order to eat enough to be big.

From Scientific American • Jul. 31, 2020

“It was often described as tautological — you could explain anything with it,” Masten said in a phone interview.

From Washington Post • May 26, 2020

When the choir of two-fisted tenors on the record were “proud to bear the title” Colonel Meecham entered the room slapping the swagger stick in a steady, tautological rhythm that seemed ominous, even predatory.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy