repetition

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Act of repeating

Nouns

1. repetition, reiteration, harping; recurrence, reappearance; ré-sumé, recapitulation, run; tautology, monotony, rhythm, periodicity, redundance, alliteration; diffuseness. See regularity, frequency, identity, habit.

2. echo, burden of a song, refrain, repetend, encore, rehearsal; drone, monotone; reverberation, reverb, drumming, chimes; twice-told tale, old story, second edition; loop; double duty; old wine in new bottles. Slang, chestnut. See memory.

3. reproduction, duplication, reduplication; retake; copy; similarity.

Verbs

1. repeat, [re]iterate, reproduce, duplicate, retake, refilm, retape, renew, echo, reecho, drum, pulsate, harp upon, keep after, dwell (upon), drill, hammer, redouble. Informal, beat into one's head. Slang, rub it in, ding.

2. recur, revert, return, reappear, redound, resume, rehearse, retell, go overthe same ground, rehash, return to, [re]capitulate, reword; chew one's cabbage twice, repeat oneself, ring the changes. Informal, double in brass.

Adjectives — repeated, repetitive, repetitious, recurrent, recurring, frequent, incessant; monotonous, harping, iterative, chiming, retold, aforesaid, above-mentioned, habitual.

Adverbs — repeatedly, often, again, anew, over again, afresh, once more, ditto, encore, over [and over], time after time, time and [time] again, frequently; da capo.

Interjections — come again? bis!

Phrases — lightning never strikes twice in the same place; history repeats itself; opportunity never knocks twice [at any man's door].

Quotations — Man is a history-making creature who can neither repeat his past nor leave it behind (W. H. Auden), There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before (Willa Cather), Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it (George Santayana).

Antonyms, see end.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. recurrence, reoccurrence, reappearance, return, rerun, reproduction, replication, copy, rote, routine, duplication, renewal, recapitulation, reiteration, restatement, rehash, perseveration, redundancy; see also wordiness .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

duplication, repeat, rerun, replay, reiteration, recapitulation, recurrence, *broken record, rote, reprise.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. The act or process of repeating: iteration, reiteration, restatement. See REPETITION. 2. Imitative reproduction, as of the style of another: echo, imitation, reflection, reflex. See SAME.