revealing

adjective

re·​veal·​ing ri-ˈvē-liŋ 

: allowing a look at or an understanding of something inner or hidden

a revealing confession

also : tending to expose more typically hidden parts of the body

a revealing top

revealingly adverb

Synonyms of revealing

• suggestive
• eloquent
• expressive

Examples of revealing in a Sentence

The book is a revealing account of being part of a gang.

Her comments about her childhood were revealing.

She wore a very revealing shirt.

That skirt is much too revealing.

Recent Examples on the Web

This tense atmosphere created the conditions for Macron’s December 2025 trip to Beijing, a visit far more strategically revealing than Trump’s own diplomacy with Xi Jinping. —Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

China’s restrictions on rare earth exports during the tariff standoff in 2025 were particularly significant and revealing. —Neil Shearing, Time, 20 May 2026

Some of the evening’s more revealing results came well below the headline trophy lots, where collectors competed for historically important works that also carried the potential to reset artist markets. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 May 2026

Essays by Jesmyn Ward, and a revealing and staggering portrait of Stanford University’s inner workings are also released. —Julia Hass, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1925, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing revealing

• self-revealing

Rhymes for revealing

• annealing
• appealing
• concealing
• congealing
• freewheeling
• repealing
• unfeeling
• ceiling
• dealing
• feeling
• healing
• heeling