Definition of TAUTOLOGY

tautology

Meanings

Plural: tautologies

Noun

  • (logic) a statement that is necessarily true
    • "the statement `he is brave or he is not brave' is a tautology"
  • useless repetition
    • "to say that something is `adequate enough' is a tautology"
  • Redundant use of words, a pleonasm, an unnecessary and tedious repetition.
  • An expression that features tautology.
  • A statement that is true for all truth values of its propositional variables.
  • A statement that is true for all truth values of its Boolean atoms.

Origin / Etymology

From Late Latin tautologia, from Ancient Greek ταὐτολογία (tautología) from ταὐτός (tautós, “the same”) + λόγος (lógos, “explanation”). By surface analysis, tauto- + -logy.

Antonyms

contradiction, contradiction in terms, oxymoron

Scrabble Score: 13

tautology is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
tautology is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tautology is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

tautology is a valid Words With Friends word