TELLING Synonyms: 281 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'telling' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of telling are cogent , convincing , sound , and valid . While all these words mean "having such force as to compel serious attention and usually acceptance," telling stresses an immediate and crucial effect striking at the heart of a matter. // a telling example of bureaucratic waste

Q: When would 'cogent' be a good substitute for 'telling'?

Although the words cogent and telling have much in common, cogent may stress either weight of sound argument and evidence or lucidity of presentation. // the prosecutor's cogent summation won over the jury

Q: When is it sensible to use 'convincing' instead of 'telling'?

The synonyms convincing and telling are sometimes interchangeable, but convincing suggests a power to overcome doubt, opposition, or reluctance to accept. // a convincing argument for welfare reform

Q: When is 'sound' a more appropriate choice than 'telling'?

The words sound and telling can be used in similar contexts, but sound implies a basis of flawless reasoning or of solid grounds. // a sound proposal for reviving the economy

Q: Where would 'valid' be a reasonable alternative to 'telling'?

While the synonyms valid and telling are close in meaning, valid implies being supported by objective truth or generally accepted authority. // a valid reason for being absent // a valid marriage

telling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈte-liŋ

Definition of telling

as in convincing

having the power to persuade presented us with telling evidence that convinced us he was right

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

telling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of tell

as in describing

to give an oral or written account of in some detail they told the story of how they had met

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in saying

to express (a thought or emotion) in words just tell us what is in your heart

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in counting

to find the sum of (a collection of things) by noting each one as it is being added who can tell the number of grains of sand in the world?

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in informing

to give information to tell me, when did you begin playing the violin?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in instructing

to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority told us to sit still and wait

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disclosing

to make known (as information previously kept secret) I won't tell your secret to anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word telling different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of telling are cogent, convincing, sound, and valid. While all these words mean "having such force as to compel serious attention and usually acceptance," telling stresses an immediate and crucial effect striking at the heart of a matter.

a telling example of bureaucratic waste

When would cogent be a good substitute for telling?

Although the words cogent and telling have much in common, cogent may stress either weight of sound argument and evidence or lucidity of presentation.

the prosecutor's cogent summation won over the jury

When is it sensible to use convincing instead of telling?

The synonyms convincing and telling are sometimes interchangeable, but convincing suggests a power to overcome doubt, opposition, or reluctance to accept.

a convincing argument for welfare reform

When is sound a more appropriate choice than telling?

The words sound and telling can be used in similar contexts, but sound implies a basis of flawless reasoning or of solid grounds.

a sound proposal for reviving the economy

Where would valid be a reasonable alternative to telling?

While the synonyms valid and telling are close in meaning, valid implies being supported by objective truth or generally accepted authority.

a valid reason for being absent

a valid marriage

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of telling

Adjective

But perhaps the most telling signal is that only 9% of workers, the people closest to the decisions, data and consequences, trust AI for complex, business-critical decisions. — John Davie, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026 But the most telling sign of their friendship wasn’t the coordinating outfits or Shane’s supportive headwear, but the duo’s matching bags. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 19 May 2026

Verb

The Coast Guard can be heard telling Schettino, in Italian, to get back on the ship multiple times. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 11 July 2026 Apple Ask who on their team is already using AI for this without telling you. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for telling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for telling

Adjective

Charlotte took some convincing to use planters as a barrier for the bike lanes along The Plaza.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 17 July 2026
That level of detail is part of why the rooms feel so convincing.

— Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of convincing

Verb

Iran’s semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) wrote about the 1989 funeral earlier this week, describing how the enormous crowds exceeded the numbers expected by authorities.

— Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Furthermore, Bavarian state lawmaker Bernhard Pohl also welcomed the move, describing it as a long-term guarantee for the future of the Kaufbeuren location and its role within Germany’s expanding missile defense network.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026

Definition of describing

Verb

Despite the fireworks these teams have produced in the knockout stage, the odds are saying to expect a tight, low-scoring semifinal.

— Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 12 July 2026
Crump, the family’s attorney, cast doubt on the notion that Wells may have drowned – saying the teen was a strong athlete and knew how to swim.

— Holly Yan, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Definition of saying

Verb

For years, school administrators across the system used flawed methods to track graduation rates, often counting students who had transferred to other schools as dropouts.

— Savannah Peters, Fortune, 13 July 2026
Both of these typically tokenize data into 1D or 2D sequences, which makes simple spatial tasks unnecessarily difficult—like counting unique chairs in a short video, or remembering what a room looked like an hour ago.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026

Definition of counting

Verb

Financing On Saturday, the NFL sent a memo to the other 31 teams informing their leadership about the deal.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
Khalra’s investigation alleged that thousands of people who had disappeared were cremated anonymously by police without informing their families or maintaining official records.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026

Definition of informing

Verb

For weeks Donnie had been sending her money, and instructing her to deposit it into the nanny’s account.

— Juliet Linderman, Fortune, 16 July 2026
Lagos shared that many athletic directors in her section are often teachers who take on the role of instructing students and then doing the full administrative labor required to help teams cycle through their schedules.

— Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 14 July 2026

Definition of instructing

Verb

Sabatini told the jury there was no evidence, such as May disclosing it to friends or her therapist.

— Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
The lawsuit alleged that by not disclosing the stock purchases before the legal deadline, Musk was able to keep buying shares at artificially low prices and underpay Twitter investors by at least $150 million for those shares.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Definition of disclosing

Adjective

True, nothing so grand as a massive dragon and naval battle took place, but seeing Rhaenyra start to change into someone almost unrecognizable from her younger, more innocent self was compelling in a deeper way.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

— Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026

Definition of compelling

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tellies

telling

telling (of)

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Style

“Telling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telling. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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