I am looking for a noun to describe something that is self-evident. I don't think I can say 'this is a self-evidency', but searching online and on this forum, I haven't found a proper alternative yet.
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3Perhaps it would help to provide a context, an example of how you want to use this noun.– oKtosiTeCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 10:20
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The context in which I want to use it is this: 'The fact that all literature deals with it in such and such a way is a [self-evidency]– MariekeCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 10:39
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4Out of curiosity, why use the noun there? Dropping the indefinite article and just using self-evident seems perfectly natural.– DustyCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 13:04
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7 Answers
Given, as in "The fact that .... is a given".
I think given is the closest to what you described, but presupposition and tautology come to mind.
Obvious can itself be a noun. You can speak of ‘stating the obvious’, for example. But it’s not a countable noun, so you can’t precede it with the indefinite article.
answered Feb 3, 2012 at 10:15
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Would patent qualify? I wish it did, but as a noun, it has only a special meaning in law.– KrisCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 10:25
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1Yeah, I want to precede it with an indefinite article, that's the problem...– MariekeCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 10:41
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@Marieke: Then I think you'll be unlucky. The concept is by its nature non-countable. Commented Feb 3, 2012 at 11:10
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According to Wiktionary, self-evidency is such a noun.
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1Alas, Wiktionary says (and my ear agrees) that "self-evidency" is always uncountable and describes a quality, not an item. That is, you can speak of "the self-evidency of" something, but speaking of something as "a self-evidency" would be an unusual usage at best. Commented Feb 3, 2012 at 12:45
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I do not doubt that it is a valid construction, but it seems awkward to my American ears.– MetaEdCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 15:24
In the example sentence you gave, if I absolutely had to use a noun, I'd probably go for a noun phrase like "self-evident fact", and preferably change the beginning to avoid the repetition of "fact":
"That all literature deals with it in such and such a way is a self-evident fact."
But really, why can't you just say:
"The fact that all literature deals with it in such and such a way is self-evident."
(I was originally going to suggest "triviality", but it doesn't really fit the context you specified. It would work in something like "We need not concern ourselves with such trivialities.")
The word truism expresses the idea you are looking for, and can be used with an indefinite article.
The fact that all literature deals with it in such and such a way is a truism.
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I don't think this is quite the same. I thought of "tautology", too, and rejected it for the same reason. In each case, the meaning is "this is self-evident", whereas in the example, the desired meaning is "the large body of easily-available evidence makes this obvious".– Ed StaubCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 15:45
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Should the question be edited, then? A truism (dictionary.reference.com/browse/truism) is "a self-evident, obvious truth." That is, more than any other proposed word, an exact answer to the question, which asks for a synonym to "self-evidency" or a word that means "something that is self-evident."– corvecCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 17:37
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See also wcdebate.com/1parli/29truism.htm which explains in detail the difference between a truism and a tautology.– corvecCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 17:42
It would be better to know the context but still you can check axiomatic and axiom
Edit 1: Possible to say
The fact that all literature deals with it in such and such a way is the proof itself.
You could also use "obvious proof", "valid proof" e.t.c
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1The context in which I want to use it is this: 'The fact that all literature deals with it in such and such a way is a [self-evidency]– MariekeCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 10:42
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@Marieke, see my edit please. (I, by mistake, edited your question)– MustafaCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 11:21
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By mistake, I edited question instead of my answer, could moderators delete the edited part in OP's question?– MustafaCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 11:23
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+1 This would fit with the indefinite article: "… is an axiom".– MetaEdCommented Feb 3, 2012 at 15:23