Meaning & use
truism
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Meaning
nouncountable
A statement that is plainly true and well known, so that saying it adds little new.
Grammar: Often followed by that: the truism that practice makes perfect.
Patterns
- a truism that something is true
- it is a truism that something
- state a truism
It is a truism that money cannot buy happiness.
The coach kept repeating the old truism that teamwork wins games.
Calling someone older with age is a truism, not an insight.
Word forms
| plural | truisms |
|---|
Common combinations
- an old truism
- It's an old truism that patience pays off.
- a familiar truism
- He repeated the familiar truism that time heals.
- state a truism
- I know I'm stating a truism, but safety comes first.
- mere truism
- The speech was filled with mere truisms.
- a truism of politics
- It is a truism of politics that voters remember the economy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cliché
- A cliché is an overused phrase or idea, whether true or not, while a truism is something obviously true.
- platitude
- A platitude is a dull, over-used remark said as if it were wise, and sounds more critical.
- commonplace
- Commonplace, as a noun, is a normal remark, and does not stress that it is true.
- axiom
- An axiom is a truth accepted as a starting point in logic or science, and carries more authority.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: truism or truth? truism or cliché?
truism vs truth
Truth is whatever is real or accurate, while a truism is specifically a saying that is so obvious it adds nothing.
truism vs cliché
A cliché may be false or true, but a truism is always true.
Practice
The speaker's claim that 'hard work leads to success' was just a ____ that the audience had heard a hundred times.
Choose one answer.
A truism is an obviously true, familiar statement. A paradox seems contradictory, and a rumor is unconfirmed, so they do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “truism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.