Meaning & use
tautology
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The repetition of the same idea in different words, often making a statement redundant.
See it in a sentence
"Free gift" is a tautology, since a gift is free by definition.
The professor marked the phrase "advance planning" as a tautology in my essay.
A note on using this word
In logic, "tautology" also refers to a statement that is true under every possible interpretation, a more technical usage than the everyday sense of needless repetition.
Words with a similar meaning
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Another way to use it
2. noun
A statement that is true in every possible case, especially in formal logic.
"It will rain or it will not rain" is a tautology.
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