Dictionary

truism en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /tɹuːizəm/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *drewH-der. Proto-Germanic *triwwiz Proto-West Germanic *triuwī Old English trīewe Middle English trewe English true Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English truism From true + -ism.

Meanings

1. A self-evident or obvious truth.
   • The phrase If something exists, there is porn of it used to be a clever internet meme; now it’s a truism. 2018 November 13, Kate Julian, “Why Are Young People Having So Little Sex?”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 13 Nov 2018:
   • It is a truism that the site of stations is conditioned by history and geography, but Dover Marine especially owes its fascinating and unusual layout to these two factors. 1959 October 14, T. W. E. Roche, “Traffic Working at Dover Marine Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 677:
   • It is a truism that the people who attend a rally for President Trump more than two years before he’s on the ballot again are generally strong supporters of President Trump. 2018 August 3, Philip Bump, “There’s a virus in Trumpland”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 21 Apr 2021:
2. A banality or cliché.
   • A medical “truism” holds that nose hair filters the air we breathe and therefore protects us from infection by airborne viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. But, as is often the case with truisms, its history may be more venerable than verified. 2021 July 30, Richard Klasco, “Is Nose Hair Essential to Fighting Off Colds and Other Viral Illnesses?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2021:
   • After a little decent sorrow had been put forth for the late "severe affliction," joined with some weariful truisms about resignation to the will of Providence, the rest of the epistle was filled up with reproofs about her ladyship's extraordinary and improper conduct in setting off without his consent! 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Remembrance of the Dead”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 321:

Forms

Deriveds

truismatic

Synonyms

lapalissade · maxim · platitude · adage · apophthegm · dictum · saying · platitude · gnome · saw · paroemia · apothegm · proverb · gnomic saying · mantra · byword

Translations (72)

cs samozřejmost (self-evident or obvious truth) · ca lloc comú (banality or cliché) · de Binsenwahrheit (self-evident or obvious truth) · cs otřepaná pravda (banality or cliché) · ru ляпалиссиа́да (self-evident or obvious truth) · gl truísmo (self-evident or obvious truth) · ca tòpic (banality or cliché) · es verdad de Perogrullo (self-evident or obvious truth) · no truisme (self-evident or obvious truth) · gl obviedade (banality or cliché) · gl banalidade (banality or cliché) · es tópico (banality or cliché) · it clichè (banality or cliché) · de Allgemeinplatz (self-evident or obvious truth) · tr banal ya da klişe (banality or cliché) · ca truisme (self-evident or obvious truth) · sh truizam (banality or cliché) · eo evidentaĵo (self-evident or obvious truth) · fi klisee (banality or cliché) · fi itsestäänselvyys (self-evident or obvious truth) · cs banalita (banality or cliché) · gl trivialidade (banality or cliché) · ro banalitate (banality or cliché) · it banalità (banality or cliché) · sh truizam (self-evident or obvious truth) · ca obvietat (self-evident or obvious truth) · cs klišé (banality or cliché) · de Binse (self-evident or obvious truth) · ja 自明の理 (self-evident or obvious truth) · ru бана́льность (banality or cliché) · cs truismus (self-evident or obvious truth) · hu közhely (self-evident or obvious truth) · ru клише́ (banality or cliché) · es lugar común (banality or cliché) · it tautologia (self-evident or obvious truth) · de Allgemeinplatz (banality or cliché) · cy gwireb (self-evident or obvious truth) · ca banalitat (banality or cliché) · de Gemeinplatz (self-evident or obvious truth) · gl simpleza (self-evident or obvious truth) · tr apaçık gerçek (self-evident or obvious truth) · ro truism (self-evident or obvious truth) · it luogo comune (banality or cliché) · de Gemeinplatz (banality or cliché) · fi selviö (self-evident or obvious truth) · es truismo (self-evident or obvious truth) · pl truizm (self-evident or obvious truth) · de Klischee (banality or cliché) · gl verdade de pé de banco (self-evident or obvious truth) · pt truísmo (self-evident or obvious truth) · cmn 陳詞濫調 /陈词滥调 (self-evident or obvious truth) · fr truisme (self-evident or obvious truth) · de Floskel (banality or cliché) · fr lapalissade (self-evident or obvious truth) · bg баналност (banality or cliché) · ru труи́зм (self-evident or obvious truth) · fi latteus (banality or cliché) · bg всеизвестен факт (self-evident or obvious truth) · el κοινοτυπία (banality or cliché) · de Truismus (self-evident or obvious truth) · de Plattitüde (banality or cliché) · ru трюи́зм (self-evident or obvious truth) · ca clixé (banality or cliché) · ru прописна́я и́стина (self-evident or obvious truth) · de Banalität (banality or cliché) · it tautologia (banality or cliché) · el κοινοτυπία (self-evident or obvious truth) · es grullada (self-evident or obvious truth) · es perogrullada (self-evident or obvious truth) · de Binsenweisheit (self-evident or obvious truth) · nl gemeenplaats (self-evident or obvious truth) · it ovvietà (self-evident or obvious truth)