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
Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
The telltale signs of a screwworm infection are the growing wounds or lesions and the presence of feeding maggots on still-alive animals.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 9 June 2026
This is a telltale sign that the crystals formed at great pressure within a parent body.
—Jenna Ahart, Scientific American, 9 June 2026
That combination helps hide the telltale signs that make websites and networks block VPN traffic in the first place.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
Festering below, stagnant water emanates the telltale smell of rotten eggs, likely a mix of methane and sulfur dioxide.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 8 June 2026
The telltale mark of a fake tan?
—Deanna Pai, Glamour, 6 June 2026
The rest appeared to be of French design but bore no telltale markings.
—CBS News, 4 June 2026
Signs of a Dull Blade There are several telltale signs that indicate your lawn mower blade needs sharpening.
—Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 June 2026
Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 4 June 2026
Torry’s wife, a speech therapist, noticed concerning telltales that led to a diagnosis 14 years ago, when Torry was only 40 years old.
—Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 1 May 2026
However, when outflows from young stars strike surrounding molecular clouds, shockwaves are created that heat matter and cause molecular hydrogen to emit telltale emissions.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Nov. 2025
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 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
Ubie lists four telltale signs that caffeine tolerance has set in.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
The telltale signs of a screwworm infection are the growing wounds or lesions and the presence of feeding maggots on still-alive animals.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 9 June 2026
This is a telltale sign that the crystals formed at great pressure within a parent body.
—Jenna Ahart, Scientific American, 9 June 2026
That combination helps hide the telltale signs that make websites and networks block VPN traffic in the first place.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2026
Festering below, stagnant water emanates the telltale smell of rotten eggs, likely a mix of methane and sulfur dioxide.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 8 June 2026
The telltale mark of a fake tan?
—Deanna Pai, Glamour, 6 June 2026
The rest appeared to be of French design but bore no telltale markings.
—CBS News, 4 June 2026
Signs of a Dull Blade There are several telltale signs that indicate your lawn mower blade needs sharpening.
—Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 June 2026
Noun
Images must be taken at a high cadence, at least every few minutes or so, to spot the telltale tweak to a star’s brightness as it’s microlensed by a relatively small PBH.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 4 June 2026
Torry’s wife, a speech therapist, noticed concerning telltales that led to a diagnosis 14 years ago, when Torry was only 40 years old.
—Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 1 May 2026
However, when outflows from young stars strike surrounding molecular clouds, shockwaves are created that heat matter and cause molecular hydrogen to emit telltale emissions.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Nov. 2025
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 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
-
Brands using less-processed, more natural sweeteners are gaining popularity, Christensen said, indicative of people's health consciousness and concern about their waistlines.—
Teresa Mull,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
Past performance is not indicative of future results.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
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
-
According to prosecutors, the officers went to a home with an informant to make a firearms purchase.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
Fagan and Edwards proceeded to draw and point their own firearms at the officers and the informant.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Below it, the floor-length skirt consisted of a dense curtain of long reflective strands.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
13 June 2026
-
Former Blue Jays catching prospect Phil Clarke announced his retirement from professional baseball on Wednesday, sharing a reflective message about the circumstances that led to his decision after spending years working his way through Toronto's minor league system.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Rooftops, crimes, love affairs, gossip.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
Pay attention to jealousy around ideas, attention, gossip or who gets the last word.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For families coming from Johnson County, the new Johnson County United Link is a temporary network of three circulator bus routes running June 9 through July 13, connecting Leawood, Lenexa, Merriam and other JoCo spots.—
Chandler Boese,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
-
Then Brady had more problems with his heating system and contacted the maintenance worker to replace the circulator pump.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
By releasing changes incrementally (canary or feature flags) and tying them to real-time health metrics, teams can detect issues early and revert automatically.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
A little different from the regular radiant thanks to its rich canary tone, this three-stone jewelry piece absolutely makes a statement.—
Shelby Wax,
Vogue,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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