truism

American  

[troo-iz-uhm] / ˈtru ɪz əm /

noun

1. a self-evident, obvious truth.

   Synonyms:

   platitude, cliché

---

truism British  

/ ˈtruːɪzəm /

noun

1. an obvious truth; platitude

---

Commonly Confused

Contrary to what some people believe, the word truism is not a more elegant word for truth. While the word truth can occasionally be used to refer to a “truism,” since truisms are often true, the reverse—the use of truism to mean “truth”—is unwise. Truism stands for a certain kind of truth—a cliché, a platitude, something so self-evident that it is hardly worth mentioning. One can use it to accuse another writer or speaker of saying something so obvious or evident and trite that pointing it out is pointless. To say that a statement is a truism when you intend to compliment it as truthful, factual, even provable, will merely serve to confuse those who know that calling something a truism is not praise, but a criticism or insult. Note, however, that truism is used in a technical sense in mathematics or philosophy for restating something that is already known from its terms or premises. Examples of such truisms include: “Men are not women” and “Since the circumference of a circle equals twice the radius multiplied by π (2π r ), it equals the diameter multiplied by π (π d ).”

Other Word Forms

• truistic
  adjective
• truistical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of truism

First recorded in 1700–10; true + -ism

Explanation

Here's a truism for you: Only people who look up words they don't know can expand their vocabularies. Did you find that statement obvious, boring, and saying nothing new or interesting? That's the perfect description of a truism. Sometimes truisms can be mistaken for factual statements. In fact, despite their seeming obviousness, they are usually opinions. Many people who look up words in the dictionary don't improve their vocabularies, as much as they'd like to. Another truism: You get what you pay for. Well, a lot of the time, sure, but not always. That's why the word bargain was invented.

Example Sentences

Truism No. 1: Los Angeles is a patchwork of vast hiking terrain, with about 1 million acres in the L.A. area.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2024

Truism No. 2: Even the most comprehensive hiking guide can’t possibly incorporate every craggy nook and spindly trail.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2024

And in our request, we were reminded of Truism No. 3: Hikers can be secretive about their favorite getaway spots, lest they become overrun with foot traffic.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2024

Most Ignored Truism “There’s a myth in the business that young males drive the box office,” Tom Rothman, the chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s motion picture group, told The Hollywood Reporter in November.

From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2015

Truism or paradox, such a thought suggested a kind of effort, which, so far as we could discover, had never yet been made.

From Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death by Myers, F. W. H. (Frederic William Henry)