What does repetitive mean?
Word: Repetitive
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Repetitive means doing or saying the same thing many times, so that it can become dull.
Synonyms: tedious, dull
Antonyms: varied
How do you spell repetitive?
Syllables: re - pet - i - tive
Tricky part: Repetitive is linked to repeat, but the ea of repeat turns into a single e after the p. Repeatitive is a common slip.
Watch out for: repeatitive, repititive, repeetitive
Memory tip: A parrot that says the same thing all day has dropped the a of repeat: only an e follows the p.
Repetitive in a sentence
Example 1: Copying the same sentence fifty times is a repetitive task.
Example 2: The song has a repetitive chorus that my little brother sings all day.
Example 3: Coach Ravi keeps practice from feeling repetitive by changing the drills each week.
Fun Fact
Repetitive goes back to the Latin repetere, made of re-, again, and petere, to seek, so at heart it means going after something once more.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
Folding paper bags all afternoon was a reppetitive job, but the craft club finished two hundred before the fair.
a) an outdoor event with stalls and games
b) done over and over in the same way
c) a group of people who meet to share an interest
d) a piece of work that someone does
Show answer
b) done over and over in the same way. The misspelt word should have just one p; it tells us the job was the same action again and again.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with the word closest in meaning:
1. repetitive 2. tiny 3. brave a. courageous b. monotonous c. little
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. These are same-meaning pairs: repetitive and monotonous, tiny and little, brave and courageous.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) imagine : imaginetive
b) compete : competitive
c) repeat : repetitive
d) create : creative
Show answer
a) imagine : imaginetive. Imaginative keeps the a of imagination before tive; the other three pairs are spelt correctly.
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
repetit____
a) iv
b) ief
c) eve
d) ive
Show answer
d) ive. Like active and festive, the word closes with ive, and the e at the end is needed.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The most repetitive job here is ___.
a) designing a fresh poster for each event
b) planning a different school trip each month
c) pressing the same button on a machine all day
d) writing a new story every single morning
Show answer
c) pressing the same button on a machine all day
2. In a repetitive tune, ___.
a) the same notes come back many times
b) the singer changes after each line
c) there are no words at all
d) every verse has a brand-new melody
Show answer
a) the same notes come back many times
