Tautologies

Tautology is unnecessary repetition in word usage. This list includes common phrases which are tautologous and should be avoided in formal writing. You will undoubtedly recognize many of these phrases as they are used frequently in everyday speech.

  • absolute beginning/end
  • absolute guarantee
  • absolutely essential
  • absolutely sure
  • actual experience
  • add an additional/a further
  • added bonus/addition
  • adequate enough
  • advance warning/planning
  • all alone
  • all by her/him/itself
  • all of
  • are/is currently
  • as for example
  • as per
  • ask for help/assistance
  • assemble together
  • autumn season
  • baby boy/girl was born
  • blend together
  • bouquet of flowers
  • burn down/up
  • cancel out
  • checkout/up
  • circle round
  • climb up
  • close proximity
  • close down/up
  • close/thorough scrutiny
  • collect/combine together
  • commute back and forth
  • completely filled
  • completely/totally destroyed
  • completely/totally surrounded
  • comprises of
  • confer/congregate together
  • continue on
  • cut back
  • dates back
  • definite decision
  • descend down
  • difficult dilemma
  • divide off/up
  • drink down/up
  • each and every
  • earlier on
  • end result
  • end up
  • equal to one another
  • equally as
  • established fact
  • exact opposites
  • exited from
  • face up to
  • fall down
  • few in number
  • file away
  • final completion
  • finally/ultimately end in
  • finish up
  • first and foremost
  • first of all
  • first/initially conceived
  • first prototype
  • follow after
  • free gift
  • free publicity
  • future prospects
  • gather together
  • general consensus
  • had done previously
  • head up
  • heat up
  • high noon
  • honest truth
  • hurry up
  • if and when
  • in actual fact
  • in between
  • indirect allusion
  • join/link together
  • joint partnership
  • just exactly/precisely/barely
  • just recently
  • kneel/knelt down
  • know for sure/for certain
  • last of all
  • later on
  • left behind
  • lend out
  • linger on
  • local residents
  • lose out
  • main focus
  • major breakthrough
  • many different
  • meet/merge/mix together
  • minute detail
  • miss out on
  • more especially
  • more preferable
  • my personal opinion
  • natural instinct
  • nearly dead
  • new bride
  • new construction
  • new innovation
  • new record
  • new recruit
  • newly created
  • off of
  • one and the same
  • opening gambit
  • orbits around
  • original source
  • over again
  • pair of twins
  • passing fad
  • past history
  • past memories
  • pay off
  • penetrate into
  • perfect ideal
  • personal belongings
  • pizza pie
  • plan ahead
  • polish up
  • prior record
  • probed into
  • protest against
  • reason why
  • refer back
  • renew/repeat again
  • rest up
  • return/revert back
  • rise up
  • root cause
  • round ball
  • self-confessed
  • send on
  • settle up
  • sit down
  • solitary isolation
  • still remain
  • trigger off
  • true facts
  • try out
  • twice over
  • ultimate conclusion
  • unite together
  • unless and until
  • usual habit
  • watch out for
  • whether or not
  • raze to the ground
  • I can see it with my own eyes.

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