# nothing new under the sun

idiom · CEFR C1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/nothing-new-under-the-sun
Updated: 2026-07-29

## Meaning

Human affairs endlessly repeat; what seems novel has all happened before.

## Examples

- Every generation panics about the young — there's nothing new under the sun.
- The pundits called it a revolutionary strategy, but veterans knew there was nothing new under the sun.
- Read the financial history of any bubble and you will conclude there is nothing new under the sun: the same greed, the same denial, the same crowd insisting this time is different.

## Origin

The phrase comes from Ecclesiastes 1:9, part of the world-weary meditation traditionally attributed to Solomon: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." The speaker, called simply the Teacher, has seen enough to be unimpressed by novelty. Every fresh ambition, he argues, is a repeat of something already tried and forgotten; history circles rather than advances. The line survives as a dry observation, often delivered with a shrug. To say there is nothing new under the sun is to note that some supposedly modern scandal, trend, or invention is really just an old pattern in new clothes.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.