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
Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Martinů was something of a chameleon, despite his telltale tics.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Like many of the telltale clues that will help Blanc solve the case, the resemblance is hiding in plain sight.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2025
Speed Round What’s the telltale sign a garment was made to last?
—The Editors, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025
It’s known to be a single individual for one telltale sign – a distinctive bent digit.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Collectors can usually spot fakes by telltale signs like overly bright colors, missing holographic Pop Mart stickers, or the wrong number of teeth.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
In an interview with Flow Space, Pearson breaks down some of the telltale signs to help differentiate ADHD symptoms in men and women.
—Jennifer Shanker, Flow Space, 27 Aug. 2025
Look for telltale signs that machines will never halt — for example, many machines will fall into infinite repeating loops.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 22 Aug. 2025
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.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Martinů was something of a chameleon, despite his telltale tics.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Like many of the telltale clues that will help Blanc solve the case, the resemblance is hiding in plain sight.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2025
Speed Round What’s the telltale sign a garment was made to last?
—The Editors, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025
It’s known to be a single individual for one telltale sign – a distinctive bent digit.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Collectors can usually spot fakes by telltale signs like overly bright colors, missing holographic Pop Mart stickers, or the wrong number of teeth.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
In an interview with Flow Space, Pearson breaks down some of the telltale signs to help differentiate ADHD symptoms in men and women.
—Jennifer Shanker, Flow Space, 27 Aug. 2025
Look for telltale signs that machines will never halt — for example, many machines will fall into infinite repeating loops.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
-
The exchange is indicative of this odd, frustrating, occasionally intriguing project, which pads out scarce but real nuggets of insight with leading questions and endless clips.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Superior Court Judge Lisa Rodriguez agreed with the prosecutor that the details taken together were indicative of fraud.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 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
-
Supporting characters also left their mark, most notably Antonio Fargas as Huggy Bear, the streetwise informant who balanced comic relief with genuine charm.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In 1985, Tortora was accused by several alleged ex-mobsters turned informants and state witnesses of being part of a Neapolitan crime syndicate dedicated to drug trafficking.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The only difference is that reflective tint is not allowed anywhere on the windshield and can't be more than 35% on the front and rear windows.—
Keenan Thompson,
Freep.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Give that remark a sobering, reflective moment.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
On those calls, the rapper expressed his frustration with many of his peers and commented on industry rumors and gossip (such as the falling out between Metro Boomin and Drake).—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
-
That’s probably more a reflection of modern-day Young Thug than anything else, where the music is an afterthought to gossip and the CEO life.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
11 Sep. 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
-
The record number of defaults is a canary in the coal mine for large-scale economic problems, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) warned.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Black women are the canary in the coal mine on the health of the economy.—
Marianne Cooper,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Research performed on rats found that when TPO was ingested, reproductive difficulties and negative effects on the endocrine (hormonal) systems followed.—
Morgan Fargo,
Vogue,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Inspectors shut down the Thai restaurant in Rancho Cordova aftering finding approximately 50 rat droppings below the water heater in the back of the kitchen and about 15 to 25 droppings throughout the corners of the cook’s line, the front counter in the lobby and the back of dry storage area.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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