as in indicative
indicating something
I know you've been eating chocolate because of the telltale smudges on your face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in gossiper
a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others
the media's professional telltales have basically decided that today's celebrities have no right to privacy
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
the department telltale told the boss that his coworkers were taking extra long breaks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of telltale
Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
Spacecraft surveys and telescope observations have revealed the existence of a rare, heavy form of water in the Venusian atmosphere — a telltale sign that regular water used to be abundant on the planet.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
The oldest potential example — an arm bone that showed telltale signs of burning — was from a site in northern Vietnam dating to around 14,000 years ago.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
Richer creams packed with hydrating ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid that fortify the skin’s barrier from the coming windchill and the telltale skin tightness from indoor heating take center stage on our top shelves.
—Tanya Akim, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
That’s a telltale sign that they are meant only for the season.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2025
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
Children infected with the virus may go through the standard disease progression—flu-like symptoms, high fever, the telltale rash—and then appear to fully recover.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Philipp Wehsack, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025
The only telltale is the small 350e badge on the back.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
Tents selling fireworks all over the county are opening and the telltale pops, booms and bangs can be heard far and wide leading up to Independence Day.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 22 June 2024
The initial telltale symptom of the plague is an extremely swollen lymph node, according to Adalja.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024
Photo: Courtesy of Neon Spectators at the crash scene in 1957 reported hearing the telltale hiss of a tire blowing out.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2024
And in the following days, astronomers saw the telltale reddening of a kilonova in the same spot as the gamma-ray burst.
—Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
The thief slowly turns the dial, listening for the telltale clicks or resistance that might hint at the inner workings of the safe's gears and reveal its combination.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 21 June 2020
Adjective
The telltale sign is a dark vertical line that can also lead to other color changes in or around the nail.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
Spacecraft surveys and telescope observations have revealed the existence of a rare, heavy form of water in the Venusian atmosphere — a telltale sign that regular water used to be abundant on the planet.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
The oldest potential example — an arm bone that showed telltale signs of burning — was from a site in northern Vietnam dating to around 14,000 years ago.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
Richer creams packed with hydrating ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid that fortify the skin’s barrier from the coming windchill and the telltale skin tightness from indoor heating take center stage on our top shelves.
—Tanya Akim, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
That’s a telltale sign that they are meant only for the season.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2025
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
Children infected with the virus may go through the standard disease progression—flu-like symptoms, high fever, the telltale rash—and then appear to fully recover.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Check for telltale thinning at the crown and temples; broken, frizzy bits at ear and chin level; as well as shorter strands at the nape of the neck that look shredded or wispy.
—Philipp Wehsack, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025
The only telltale is the small 350e badge on the back.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
Tents selling fireworks all over the county are opening and the telltale pops, booms and bangs can be heard far and wide leading up to Independence Day.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 22 June 2024
The initial telltale symptom of the plague is an extremely swollen lymph node, according to Adalja.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024
Photo: Courtesy of Neon Spectators at the crash scene in 1957 reported hearing the telltale hiss of a tire blowing out.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2024
And in the following days, astronomers saw the telltale reddening of a kilonova in the same spot as the gamma-ray burst.
—Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023
The thief slowly turns the dial, listening for the telltale clicks or resistance that might hint at the inner workings of the safe's gears and reveal its combination.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 21 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for telltale
Adjective
-
This is an extraordinarily low number, and is indicative of there being very little magnetic activity of the kind that produces flares and coronal mass ejections.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
There’s the hassle of getting the 10-Q together, updating financial data that may or may not be indicative of a company’s long-term potential or financial health.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Celebrity gossiper Rob Shuter reported that the two recently let go of a number of their staff.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Her staff figured out how to get rid of the gossiper.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Supporting characters also left their mark, most notably Antonio Fargas as Huggy Bear, the streetwise informant who balanced comic relief with genuine charm.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In 1985, Tortora was accused by several alleged ex-mobsters turned informants and state witnesses of being part of a Neapolitan crime syndicate dedicated to drug trafficking.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The only difference is that reflective tint is not allowed anywhere on the windshield and can't be more than 35% on the front and rear windows.—
Keenan Thompson,
Freep.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Give that remark a sobering, reflective moment.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Read on for some of the convention’s biggest talking points and off-stage gossip.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The Netflix breakout hit, Bridgerton, is another Regency drama, one that follows the siblings of the prominent Bridgerton family, whose lives are frequently the subject of the anonymous gossip columnist, Lady Whistledown.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Frizer and Skeres were fraudsters, and the sinister Poley was an informer, crucial to the exposure of the Babington Plot.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Option 2: If one prisoner informs while the other stays silent, the informer will go free while the silent one receives the harshest sentence.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
The insurance crisis is the canary in the coal mine for the climate crisis, and the canary is dying.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The record number of defaults is a canary in the coal mine for large-scale economic problems, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) warned.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Below, newlywed and habitual gym rat Jeff Bezos, looking mighty fit on the arm of his telegenic bride Lauren Sanchez, channels his very best Saturday Night Fever Tony Manero, as played by John Travolta.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
So does his intensity and gym-rat work ethic.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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