repetitive

repetitive — adjective

1. happening again and again in the same or very similar way, often to the point wh

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

happening again and again in the same or very similar way, often to the point where you feel bored or annoyed

Example

Jiwoo found the data entry job too repetitive and quit after one month.

repetitive + job/task — describing work that becomes boring through sameness

The songs on the radio sounded repetitive, so Ada switched to a podcast.

sounded repetitive — adjective after a linking verb of perception

Common collocations
  • repetitive task
  • repetitive work
  • repetitive routine
  • repetitive motion
  • repetitive pattern
  • repetitive question
  • repetitive strain injury
  • repetitive nature
Synonyms
  • monotonous

    suggests unchanging tone or pace; often used for sounds, voices, or routines — more specific than repetitive

  • tedious

    emphasises that the slowness or length of the task makes it exhausting; not all tedious things repeat

  • repetitious

    very similar to repetitive but slightly more formal and can imply unnecessary or excessive repetition

  • boring

    the simplest, most general term; not all boring things involve repetition

Antonyms
  • varied

    describes something that includes many different elements or changes often

  • diverse

    emphasises wide variety within a group or range; slightly more formal

Grammar Patterns

repetitive + noun

be + repetitive

find + noun + repetitive

Usage Note

Frequently used with a negative connotation — describing something that causes boredom or irritation through lack of variety. Common with job-related nouns (task, work, chore) and speech-related nouns (question, story, excuse).

Common Mistakes

He made repetitive phone calls until someone answered.
He made repeated phone calls until someone answered.
'repeated' simply means 'done many times' and is neutral; 'repetitive' implies boring or annoying sameness.
I found the lecture very repetitive and interesting.
I found the lecture very repetitive and boring.
'repetitive' carries a negative meaning; pairing it with 'interesting' creates a contradiction.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Repetitive emphasises doing or saying the same thing over and over, often to the point of boredom — it is the most direct choice when the core issue is repeated action. Monotonous adds the sense of an unchanging tone, pitch, or pace; a voice or landscape can be monotonous without any literal repetition. Tedious focuses on the exhausting slowness or length of an activity rather than whether it repeats — waiting in a long queue is tedious but not necessarily repetitive. Boring is the broadest, simplest term and can describe anything that fails to hold your attention. For example: 'Data entry is repetitive' (same keystrokes again and again); 'His monotonous voice put the class to sleep' (same flat tone); 'The three-hour meeting was tedious' (too long and slow); 'The film was boring' (general lack of interest).

repetitive ↗monotonoustedious ↗boring ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • highly repetitive
  • extremely repetitive
  • somewhat repetitive
  • endlessly repetitive
  • mind-numbingly repetitive

Phrases

  • repetitive strain injury
  • repetitive daily routine

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Repetitive comes from the Latin verb repetere, meaning 'to do or say again,' made up of re- ('again') and petere ('to seek, make for'). English adopted it through French répétitif in the 1800s, using the suffix -ive to form an adjective meaning 'characterised by repeating.'