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repetitive

repetitive

58 3.5
Doing the same thing again and again
  • adjective
  • /rɪˈpɛtɪtɪv/
translation icon : repetitivo
  • She found the job to be repetitive, as she performed the same tasks every day.
  • repetitive tasks
  • repetitive behavior
  • repetitive patterns

And it's like this, you know, repetitive nature.

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Examples

  • My making process is very repetitive and painstaking.

  • And it is, it is a slow, repetitive, extremely boring job.

  • But it seems like it's very repetitive what they eat.

  • And this is where it starts getting a little bit repetitive, but it works.

  • But if it became a repetitive thing, it's a problem.

  • We get stuck in these sort of repetitive patterns of thinking.

  • And in the last step, the repetitive task of design adjustment is automated.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I have a bigger challenge because I don't want to be repetitive.

  • It's very tedious, it's repetitive, but it's irrefutable.

  • But how can you do that if it's just boring, mundane, repetitive, burdensome work?

Synonyms

cyclical
vsrepetitive
28 5.1

Happening again and again at regular times

applies to doing the same thing again and again without strict timing
recurrent
vsrepetitive
12 4.7

Happening again and again, often at regular times

focuses on continuous same actions rather than occasional appearances over time
repetitious
vsrepetitive
6 5.1

Showing the same thing again and again in a boring way

is neutral and simply describes doing the same thing again and again
iterative
vsrepetitive
5 6.6

Happening again and again to improve something

focuses on general doing the same thing rather than cyclical structure
cyclic
vsrepetitive
5 4.8

Happens repeatedly in a regular pattern

describes doing the same thing without implying a fixed or regular schedule
reiterative
vsrepetitive
1 7.4

Using the same words or idea again and again

is the general adjective for doing the same thing again and again
reiterant
vsrepetitive
8.6

Doing the same thing again and again

is about the overall quality of doing the same thing again and again
repeated
vsrepetitive
1.0

Happening again and again

describes a lasting pattern rather than single events that occur again
recurring
vsrepetitive
3.3

Happens again and again over time

emphasizes ongoing sameness as a quality not just occasional returns
reoccurring
vsrepetitive
4.1

Happening again and again

describes steady doing of the same action with clear timing
perseverative
vsrepetitive
  • Specialized
8.6

Being unable to stop repeating actions, speech, or thoughts

is neutral and simply describes doing the same thing again without implying excess

Antonyms

297 3.4

Made of many different kinds

54 3.3

Containing many different kinds, not all the same

That does not happen again in the same way or pattern

How Repetitive

monotonous
14 5.3
repetitive
58 3.5
sporadic
35 7.0
infrequent
13 4.5

Surface Forms

repetitive positive
repetitiver comparative
repetitivest superlative

Morphology

repetitive = repeat (transparent) = repeat + ive

Formed from the verb 'repeat' with the adjectival suffix '-ive', meaning 'characterized by repeating', which is readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

Repetitive comes from the word repeat, where the little part re- means 'again', so think of a music player's 'repeat' button. Something repetitive happens 'again and again', which is why the word means doing the same thing over and over.