Truism Meaning
/tɹuːizəm/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA self-evident or obvious truth.
nounA banality or cliché.
Sentence Examples
To say that technology changes rapidly is to utter a truism.
It is a well-known truism that honesty is the best policy.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Everyone knows the old ____ that actions always speak louder than words.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is a common ____ that hard work and dedication are essential for achieving success in any field of work today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English true Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō 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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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 26, 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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Everyone knows the old ____ that actions always speak louder than words.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is a common ____ that hard work and dedication are essential for achieving success in any field of work today.