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
Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
In April, the telltale 14-inch-tall umbrella-like leaves of May apple start appearing.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
With its telltale cone shape, the northernmost of Sicily's Aeolian Islands is home to a volcano that puffs on a near-constant basis.
—Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 31 Mar. 2026
By the time symptoms first appear, the majority of these cells are lost forever, meaning the disease can progress for years before any of the telltale physical symptoms emerge—tremors, stiffness and slowness of movement, among others.
—Todd Weissman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Atallah walked to get a clearer view of the telltale plume of smoke indicating where a bomb or missile had hit; the whole way, Mohammad clung to Atallah’s leg.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
As with past generations, the 2026 Grand Sport has a wide body style and similar telltale graphics packages ― most notably, the racing stripes from front to back across the hood ― that were first designed to quickly distinguish the vehicle zipping by on a racetrack.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Because the instrument, which has a detection limit of about 20 to 30 percent ice by weight, didn’t pick up on these telltale signs in most PSRs, the research team is confident that most of these regions either lack ice or have lower concentrations of it—at least on the surface.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2026
Liu’s jacket—worn open over a white crewneck tee—featured a breast pocket bearing the house’s telltale LV monogram.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Nov. 2025
That was a big telltale for the song.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
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
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
Mucus oozed out of the coral stems, a telltale response to trauma.
—Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
In April, the telltale 14-inch-tall umbrella-like leaves of May apple start appearing.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
With its telltale cone shape, the northernmost of Sicily's Aeolian Islands is home to a volcano that puffs on a near-constant basis.
—Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 31 Mar. 2026
By the time symptoms first appear, the majority of these cells are lost forever, meaning the disease can progress for years before any of the telltale physical symptoms emerge—tremors, stiffness and slowness of movement, among others.
—Todd Weissman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Atallah walked to get a clearer view of the telltale plume of smoke indicating where a bomb or missile had hit; the whole way, Mohammad clung to Atallah’s leg.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
As with past generations, the 2026 Grand Sport has a wide body style and similar telltale graphics packages ― most notably, the racing stripes from front to back across the hood ― that were first designed to quickly distinguish the vehicle zipping by on a racetrack.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Because the instrument, which has a detection limit of about 20 to 30 percent ice by weight, didn’t pick up on these telltale signs in most PSRs, the research team is confident that most of these regions either lack ice or have lower concentrations of it—at least on the surface.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2026
Liu’s jacket—worn open over a white crewneck tee—featured a breast pocket bearing the house’s telltale LV monogram.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
However, when outflows from young stars strike surrounding molecular clouds, shockwaves are created that heat matter and cause molecular hydrogen to emit telltale emissions.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Nov. 2025
That was a big telltale for the song.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
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
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
-
While South Florida locals debate whether Fort Lauderdale is truly stealing Miami’s thunder, Smorgasburg’s move from the 305 to the 954 is indicative of Fort Lauderdale’s growing food scene and appeal to young people.—
Amanda Rosa
March 31,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Past performance is not indicative of future results.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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
-
The informant also advised that his people wanted money up front and an address where the cash could be picked up.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Shiwa Hassanpour, an activist with the human rights monitor Hengaw Organization, based in Iraq’s Kurdish region, said people have been shot for approaching the border, because Iranian forces suspect them of being spies or informants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Her portrayals – reflective of real people – will live on in television history for their honesty, wit and charm.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Both will be surrounded by streaks of bright, reflective material that were cast out during the violent asteroid impacts that formed the craters.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The confirmation came weeks after gossip blog DeuxMoi reported that Wilson and Batula were allegedly hooking up.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Apr. 2026
-
On recess — and on camera As lawmakers headed out of Washington last week, the celebrity-gossip outlet TMZ put out a call.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The whole family is deeply involved in the revolutionary movement: the oldest son disappears into Siberia, never to be seen or heard of again, while the youngest, eighteen, is jailed together with his father, and executed after his cell is exposed by an informer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These include helium circulators, turbines, steam generators, pumps, and instrumentation and controls for the reactor’s power and heat generation.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Constitutional concerns helped tank a bill Tuesday in the South Dakota House of Representatives that aimed to ban payments to petition circulators in ballot measure campaigns.—
John Hult,
States Newsroom,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
If the canary wouldn’t sing, if the milkman was late, if the Pekingese had fleas, if an old coot in a starched collar had a heart attack on the way to church, that was the smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The proverbial canaries in coal mines will then cause a recession.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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