needless to say

== English == === Pronunciation === === Adverb === needless to say (not comparable) (idiomatic) Clearly, obviously. ==== Usage notes ==== Also with various other comparable verbs, e.g. "needless to mention", "needless to repeat", "needless to rehearse". Various usage guides tell their readers that if something is indeed needless to say (for example, already obvious to all readers), then a writer should think twice about saying it, versus deleting it; and (on the other hand) if it does need to be said, then it should not be prefaced by needless to say or it goes without saying, and instead the writer might explain why it was necessary to point out (for example, disabusing a flawed assumption that some readers might be predicted to hold). In casual speech, this phrase is not uncommon and the aforementioned usage prescription is often not applied, because extemporaneous speech is an unrehearsed and unedited medium. ==== Translations ==== === See also === go without saying not to mention suffice to say it goes without saying