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

But the actors don’t connect onscreen in an emotionally revealing way, and the gargantuan excess of the production reduces them, in the end, to life-size paper dolls. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026

In this raw and revealing memoir, Gold shares the truth behind the glittering image, exposing the intense pressures of elite skating and her fight to reclaim her life and identity. —Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026

The strategy’s treatment of Europe is particularly revealing. —Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026

Perhaps the most revealing analogues are the widespread age restrictions for the purchase and consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis, which are common around the world and have been extensively studied. —Keith Humphreys, The Atlantic, 2 Feb. 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