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
Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The telltale sign of a high hit will be bits of sticky meat on the arrow and a bright-red blood trail that fades quickly.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Paleontologists use that telltale layer of atoms from space embedded in clay to mark the end of the age of dinosaurs in the rock record.
—Dino Grandoni The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
Infected people usually experience a telltale rash that appears in stages and is located on the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth, or near the genitals.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 17 Oct. 2025
Teig came upon piles of green scat, a telltale sign that an animal was close by.
—Devon O’Neil, Outside, 15 Oct. 2025
That telltale increase in pressure is detected by the sensor, which is able to match it to the corresponding gesture and associated command.
—New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2025
Holmes and other legal professionals say there are common telltale signs of careless AI use, such as citations to nonexistent case law, filler language that was left in, and ChatGPT-style emoji or formatting that looks nothing like a typical legal document.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
If future observations detect telltale radio emissions from 3I/ATLAS, the finding could become a pivotal moment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 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
Even when participants’ average blood pressure seemed healthy, those with the most erratic readings — combined with stiffer arteries — showed telltale signs of brain aging, the study found.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The telltale sign of a high hit will be bits of sticky meat on the arrow and a bright-red blood trail that fades quickly.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Paleontologists use that telltale layer of atoms from space embedded in clay to mark the end of the age of dinosaurs in the rock record.
—Dino Grandoni The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2025
Infected people usually experience a telltale rash that appears in stages and is located on the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth, or near the genitals.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 17 Oct. 2025
Teig came upon piles of green scat, a telltale sign that an animal was close by.
—Devon O’Neil, Outside, 15 Oct. 2025
That telltale increase in pressure is detected by the sensor, which is able to match it to the corresponding gesture and associated command.
—New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2025
Holmes and other legal professionals say there are common telltale signs of careless AI use, such as citations to nonexistent case law, filler language that was left in, and ChatGPT-style emoji or formatting that looks nothing like a typical legal document.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
If future observations detect telltale radio emissions from 3I/ATLAS, the finding could become a pivotal moment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 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
-
Nothing could be more indicative of the nature and power of late value form than the prospect that even the most unashamedly denialist administration might jump onto its bandwagon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Both of these interactions are indicative of her approach to cuisine and hospitality as a whole.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
5 Nov. 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
-
To date, none of the criminal complaints filed in this case mention any anti-gay text messages, social media posts or comments made by the defendants, whose communications were being secretly monitored and taped by undercover informants and agents.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
In 2020, the high court ruled that Muslim men who claimed their religious rights were violated for being placed on the government’s no-fly list after refusing to serve as FBI informants could sue the FBI agents for damages.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Dach was feeling reflective after the game Saturday.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Pedestrians and cyclists should wear bright or reflective clothing to increase the chances of being seen by others in poor visibility conditions.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The key to calm is to not crash over a tidbit of gossip.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Group dynamics could shift, gossip may circulate and career moves are more likely to be misunderstood.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 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
-
Cuestas said the development incorporates climate-resilient and health-focused design features, including a three-year public transit circulator, EV infrastructure, and beyond-LEED and Title 24 building standards to ensure strong indoor air quality.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Meta’s recent mass layoffs on its AI team are a potential canary in the coal mine, signaling that AI companies might be realizing the boom is coming to an end.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But some of the interiors seem to belong to another house, like a cheap-looking finished basement with canary-yellow walls and a bathroom with, oddly, a urinal.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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