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
Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025
While our villa had not been recently refreshed, the only telltale sign was the excessively large switches and dimmers trailing up the walls.
—Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
Besides a pumpkin latte at Starbucks and bulk candy at CVS, there’s another telltale sign.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 25 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, 25 Sep. 2025
Looking for telltale signs TRAPPIST-1 e is similar to Earth in size and orbits its star every six days — a much faster rate than Earth orbits the sun.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
The state medical examiner discussed possible strangulation, citing the belt, but acknowledged under cross-examination that telltale signs were not visible because the remains were burned and decomposed, according to court records.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Luckily, there are still some telltale signs to look out for.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025
While our villa had not been recently refreshed, the only telltale sign was the excessively large switches and dimmers trailing up the walls.
—Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
Besides a pumpkin latte at Starbucks and bulk candy at CVS, there’s another telltale sign.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 25 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, 25 Sep. 2025
Looking for telltale signs TRAPPIST-1 e is similar to Earth in size and orbits its star every six days — a much faster rate than Earth orbits the sun.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
The state medical examiner discussed possible strangulation, citing the belt, but acknowledged under cross-examination that telltale signs were not visible because the remains were burned and decomposed, according to court records.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Luckily, there are still some telltale signs to look out for.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
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
Noun
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
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
-
Sony’s double-dipping is indicative of a larger trend, where the terms remake and remaster begin to blur — but the steep price tag remains constant.—
George Yang,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Under the public safety order, that same data — especially anything interpreted as a behavioral risk factor — could be flagged by AI as indicative of potential danger.—
Kate Caldwell,
Mercury News,
30 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
-
After planting the seeds of a murder-for-hire plot, Kimball reported to the FBI that Ennis was planning to have witnesses killed, and shortly thereafter, was granted confidential informant status.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The animosity between the two boiled over when suspicions grew among the Joneses that Brandon was Marty Baker’s secret informant, after a Skeet associate spotted Brandon and Baker having lunch together in Mentone.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Wettig noted in an August 2009 interview with NPR that though Thirtysomething's characters were often accused of being narcissistic by critics, their self-involvement was also reflective of the time.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Cost was reported as the most prominent barrier to care in Texas, which was reflective of a national trend showing families with private insurance face greater barriers compared with families using public programs like Medicaid, according to the survey.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Will Tudor as Sillerton Jackson, Friend of Newland who is lofty and a gossip with secrets of his own.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
-
However, sometimes, the right play happens for the correlating gossip.—
Charlotte Wilder,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 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
-
These early jolts serve as canaries in the coal mine.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Finally, initial jobless claims will be out Thursday morning, and the market will be looking for additional confirmation that the spike two weeks ago more of an anomaly than a canary in the coal mine.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Other live cameras monitoring elephants, lions and naked mole-rats also remain active during the shutdown.—
Sudiksha Kochi,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
-
An alligator's diet can include chicken liver, rats and animal parts, including bones and cartilage.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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