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
Philipp Wehsack, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2025
After two months, there was an average 45% increase in new eyelash growth without the telltale darkening of skin and eye color that often comes with PGA formulas.
—Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue, 17 Jan. 2025
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 only telltale is the small 350e badge on the back.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
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
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
The initial telltale symptom of the plague is an extremely swollen lymph node, according to Adalja.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 16 Feb. 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
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
After two months, there was an average 45% increase in new eyelash growth without the telltale darkening of skin and eye color that often comes with PGA formulas.
—Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue, 17 Jan. 2025
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 only telltale is the small 350e badge on the back.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024
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
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
The initial telltale symptom of the plague is an extremely swollen lymph node, according to Adalja.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 16 Feb. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for telltale
Adjective
-
These copy and paste jobs are indicative of a problem that in this particular topic can hamper real research into renewable energy technology that could help us to combat the climate crisis.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
11 Aug. 2025
-
Researchers set out to determine whether the frequency of whale songs changed seasonally and whether that frequency was indicative of changes within marine ecosystems.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Additionally, deputies maintained a system to conceal, manage and reward those informants.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
29 July 2025
-
Marino ended up serving as a confidential informant, wearing multiple wires that captured sound and video.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Kirilenko described her holding cell inside 26 Federal Plaza as a cold, cement room where women slept on benches or the floor, with just reflective blankets to keep them warm.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
9 Aug. 2025
-
But behind the scenes, producers say the making of Chaotic was reflective of its title, mostly because the network, UPN, had purchased all of Spears’s footage unseen and then looked to producers to craft a multi-episode series.—
Krystie Lee Yandoli,
Glamour,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Topics tumble over one another in a freewheeling stream of views and gossip.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The California Post will launch in early 2026, and mock cover images show that the New York paper’s gossip section Page Six will make the move westward as well.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Over the past eight decades, the CCP has constructed a vast network of millions of informers and spies whose often unpaid work has been critical to the regime’s survival.—
Minxin Pei,
Foreign Affairs,
6 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
The Challenge and Opportunity NGOs are the canary in the coal mine.—
Robert G. Eccles,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
-
Charlie Sway, the fund manager, was an old prep-school friend, who knew that Jaron had an eye for the sleeping dog, an ear for the silent canary.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In one study, coriander seed extract was found to reduce oxidative stress in the brains of obese rats.—
Brittany Lubeck,
Verywell Health,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Black rats seem to be the only species of mammal resistant to the pythons.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Trump had previewed for reporters Tuesday that the tariffs would be coming.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Dylan Sherman is a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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