Meanings
- It is understood without being said (but will be or was said anyway).
Synonyms: needless to say
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseIt is understood without being said (but will be or was said anyway).
Origin
- Frenchaller sans dire
- Englishit goes without saying
Calque of French aller sans dire.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مِن نَّافِلَةِ القَوْلِ
- مِن نَّافِلَةِ القَوْلِ (min nāfilati l-qawli)it is understood without being said
Catalan no cal ni dir
- no cal ni dirit is understood without being said
Chinese Mandarin 不言而喻, 不待說 /不待说
- 不言而喻 (bùyán'éryù)it is understood without being said
- 不待說 /不待说 (bùdàishuō)it is understood without being said
Czech to se rozumí samo sebou
- to se rozumí samo sebouit is understood without being said
Finnish lienee sanomattakin selvää
- lienee sanomattakin selvää (että...)it is understood without being said
French cela va sans dire
- cela va sans direit is understood without being said
German es versteht sich von selbst
- es versteht sich von selbstit is understood without being said
Portuguese nem é preciso dizer, escusado dizer
- nem é preciso dizerit is understood without being said
- escusado dizerit is understood without being said
Spanish ni que decir tiene, está de más decir
- ni que decir tieneit is understood without being said
- está de más decirit is understood without being said
- de más está decirit is understood without being said
- no hace falta decirit is understood without being said
- sobra / huelga decirit is understood without being said
- se sobreentiende / subentiendeit is understood without being said
- ni se tiene que decirit is understood without being said
Ukrainian це само́ собо́ю зрозумі́ло, само́ собо́ю
- це само́ собо́ю зрозумі́ло (ce samó sobóju zrozumílo)it is understood without being said
- само́ собо́ю (samó sobóju)it is understood without being said
Cite this entry
it goes without saying. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it%20goes%20without%20saying
“it goes without saying.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it%20goes%20without%20saying. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “it goes without saying,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it%20goes%20without%20saying.
Source: it goes without saying on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.