Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Characterized by unnecessary repetition of meaning using different words: Describes a statement, phrase, or argument that says the same thing twice in slightly different words, making it redundant. It often involves using synonyms or near-synonyms together, adding no new information.

Usage

• The term "tautological" is used to critique or identify redundancy in language, logic, or argumentation. It is a formal adjective, commonly applied in academic, linguistic, or logical contexts to point out that an expression is needlessly repetitive.
• Example: Calling the statement "a round circle" tautological because "round" is inherent in the definition of a "circle."

Examples

• Adjective:
  • The phrase "an unexpected surprise" is considered tautological because a surprise is, by definition, unexpected.
  • His argument became tautological when he defined "freedom" as "the state of being free."
  • The editor removed the tautological expression "close proximity" from the report.

Advanced Usage

• In Logic and Philosophy: A tautological statement is one that is true in every possible interpretation or by its logical form alone, such as "All bachelors are unmarried men." In this stricter sense, it is necessarily true but uninformative.
  • The proposition "Either it will rain, or it will not rain" is logically tautological.
• As a Rhetorical Device: Sometimes used intentionally for emphasis, though it is generally discouraged in precise writing.
  • The poet's tautological phrasing ("a silent hush") was used to create a specific mood.

Variants and Related Words

• Tautology (n): The rhetorical or logical term for the phenomenon itself; a tautological statement.
  • The definition "a lie is an untruth" is a tautology.
• Tautologically (adv): In a tautological manner.
  • The concept was defined tautologically, offering no real explanation.

Synonyms

• Redundant: Exceeding what is necessary or normal; superfluous.
• Pleonastic: Using more words than necessary; redundant (often used interchangeably with "tautological" in linguistics).
• Repetitive: Involving repetition.
• Circular: (Of an argument) Assuming the truth of what one is trying to prove, often leading to a tautology.

Antonyms

• Concise: Giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive.
• Succinct: Expressed in few words; concise.
• Informative: Providing useful or interesting information.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Begging the question": A logical fallacy where the premise assumes the conclusion, often resulting in a circular, tautological argument.
  • Saying "opium induces sleep because it has dormitive power" is begging the question; it's a tautological explanation.
• "Saying the same thing twice": A common, informal description of tautology.
  • You're just saying the same thing twice; that's a tautological definition.

Adjective

1. repetition of same sense in different words
   • `a true fact' and `a free gift' are pleonastic expressions
   • the phrase `a beginner who has just started' is tautological
   • at the risk of being redundant I return to my original proposition- J.B.Conant