as in convincing
having the power to persuade
presented us with telling evidence that convinced us he was right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
2
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
3
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
4
as in informing
to give information to
tell me, when did you begin playing the violin?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
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
6
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
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
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
And Georgia Tech running all over Florida State last year was the most telling Week 0 precursor yet.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Essence, 19 Sep. 2025
An alert air traffic controller in the New York control center reached out to the Spirit flight, telling it to execute an immediate right turn to avoid any possibility of colliding with Air Force One.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for telling
Adjective
India’s presence at the event is the most telling example yet of the warming ties between the two Asian powers – a budding realignment that threatens to undo years-long US efforts to cultivate New Delhi as a counterweight against a rising and increasingly assertive China.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
And Georgia Tech running all over Florida State last year was the most telling Week 0 precursor yet.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
If the answer is shop, gamble, or drink, that’s telling.
—Essence, 19 Sep. 2025
An alert air traffic controller in the New York control center reached out to the Spirit flight, telling it to execute an immediate right turn to avoid any possibility of colliding with Air Force One.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for telling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for telling
Adjective
-
Rather, the goal is to maximise investment returns – Mounsey-Heysham and his co-founders just happen to believe the best way to do that is to identify companies with convincing answers to large and seemingly intractable societal problems.—
David Prosser,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The judges jumped in to suggest Kilaru’s analogies weren’t so convincing in the context of a football player like Pavia, who has a limited window to earn NIL money.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
People are describing empty markets, or markets where items are just cost-prohibitive and far too expensive.—
Kaity Kline,
NPR,
18 Sep. 2025
-
At first, Walters feared the chicken might not survive—describing her as lethargic and depressed.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
However, another jailhouse informant, David Vogel, later gave a recorded interview to a DA investigator, also saying Neary admitted to stabbing the victim, corroborating Lunsford’s original statement.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Robinson billed the march as a demonstration for free speech, saying it was also held in defense of British heritage and culture.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For the past year, Abigail and Grant Kassing have been eagerly counting down the days for their wedding ceremony.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Over the last half-century, California has had seven governors — counting Jerry Brown twice — who varied widely in temperament, ideology and efficacy.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At the intersection of truth, trust, and transparency is the journalist, the storyteller tasked with informing the public, holding power to account, and navigating a world in which fact is sometimes intermingled with fiction.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The revelation came after host Sean Evans fact-checked whether or not the older kids on set had pranked Bateman by informing him that his character would die.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Robinson faces seven felonies, including discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering for allegedly instructing his roommate not to cooperate with authorities.—
Cheryl McCloud,
Freep.com,
21 Sep. 2025
-
He is also charged with felony discharge of a firearm, committing a violent act in the presence of a child, and two counts of witness tampering for instructing a roommate to delete incriminating texts and avoid cooperating with police.—
Amanda Castro
Mandy Taheri
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There’s been quite a bit of funding action in the space in recent weeks, with Honeywell’s quantum computing company, Quantinuum, and Europe’s IQM Quantum Computers both disclosing funding rounds earlier this month.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
17 Sep. 2025
-
CoreWeave jumped more than 7% after disclosing an order from Nvidia.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Chunk brings a compelling storyline to this year's competition.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Telling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telling. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share