Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TAUTOLOGICAL
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pronounce
TAUTOLOGICAL:
Say it "TOT uh LODGE ick ull."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
From Big Bang Theory:
Sheldon: "Perhaps you should call a locksmith and have him open the door for you."
Penny: "I did, and he said he'll get here when he gets here."
Sheldon: "And you're frustrated because he phrased his reply in the form of a meaningless tautology?"
Yup, an unnecessary repetition: a tautology, a pl___asm, or a cir___lo__tion.
Can you recall those synonyms?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
You can trace "tautology" to Greek roots meaning "saying the same (thing)."
That is, "tauto-" means "the same," and "-logy" means "saying." And if you take "tauto-" and pluck off the "t," you've separated it into Greek bits meaning "the" and "self." (That explains why "tautology" resembles all those "auto-" words, like "autograph" and "automatic.")
A tautology, or a tautologism, is something said or written that repeats itself unnecessarily, like "round circle," "I'll get to it when I get to it," or "It's my favorite because I like it the best."
So, something tautological is repetitive, especially in a way that fails to actually prove or explain anything.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a tautological statement;" "That whole argument is tautological."
Other forms:
Here are the common ones: tautology, tautologies, tautologism(s), tautologically.
And some fun rare ones: tautologicality, tautologize, tautologist(s).
how to use it:
This word is formal and semi-common, with a mildly negative tone.
Pick it to label some statement that repeats itself or doubles back on itself, like "We got up at 8:00AM in the morning" (okay, but "We got up at 8" is enough), or "He's shy because that's his nature" (okay, but that's not saying why).
You might talk about tautological quips, slogans, statements, phrases, arguments, expressions, claims, etc.
examples:
"Reality competition shows and the pop industry share the tautological belief that success justifies itself: A winner is someone who wins."
— James Poniewozik, New York Times, 8 April 2016
"For many years a colleague had a poster on his wall that declared, 'The most important thing is to make the most important thing the most important thing.' I loved and often quoted that quote, as much for its tautological tendencies as for its meaning."
— Jeff Skinner, Forbes, 7 November 2014
has this page helped you understand "tautological"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "tautological" without saying "circular" or "restating instead of proving."
try it out:
Often, tautological things frustrate us because they don't need to be said. But sometimes they do: sometimes they actually make a point.
For example, Gertrude Stein wrote in a poem, "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose," probably to make the point that objects just mean what they mean in poems. In other words, objects just have a tautological absoluteness to them, even in poems.
Here's another example of a tautology making a good point. In Salon, Jason O'Bryan wrote:
Do guilty pleasures even exist? Is there such a thing? I'd understand how a pleasure could be "guilty" if that pleasure was, say, heroin, or if you enjoyed spending your weekends setting strangers on fire, but as long as it's not actively harming anyone, where is the guilt? There is an almost tautological absoluteness to taste; whatever you enjoy, there's a reason you enjoy it, and that reason should render your enjoyment un-guilty. There's no "should" or "shouldn't" in preference. You like what you like.
You like what you like. And a rose is a rose, and boys will be boys, and humans are human, and we don't know what we don't know.
See if you can come up with one more tautology that does, in fact, make a good point.
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
"Country Song, or Springer Episode?"
Be warned: this month's game is in poor taste. I had so much fun creating it, so what does that say about me? And if you're good at it, what does that say about you? Oh, snap.
Country songs and Jerry Springer episodes have something in common: their self-aware, over-the-top titles. It's clear that the creators of both enjoyed poking fun at their genre. In each round of the game this month, check out a handful of titles, and see if you can decide whether each belongs to a country song or a Jerry Springer episode. For the answers, scroll all the way down.
Try these today:
1. Lies! Lies! Lies!
2. It All Ends with a Pig
3. My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him
review this word:
A. PITHY.
B. SYMPATHETIC.
C. ANTIPATHETIC.
2.
In a novel, Sherman Alexie wrote:
"'__________,' I said. 'One or the other, it's all the same.'
Gordy sighed. 'So,' he said. 'Are you going to bore me with your tautologies all day or are you actually going to say something?'"
A. Macs or PCs
B. Computers are computers
C. Tablets or laptops or desktops or whatever
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
From Big Bang Theory:
You can trace "tautology" to Greek roots meaning "saying the same (thing)."
Part of speech:
This word is formal and semi-common, with a mildly negative tone.
"Reality competition shows and the pop industry share the tautological belief that success justifies itself: A winner is someone who wins."
Explain the meaning of "tautological" without saying "circular" or "restating instead of proving."
Often, tautological things frustrate us because they don't need to be said. But sometimes they do: sometimes they actually make a point.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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