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
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 telltale
Deanna Pai, Glamour, 6 June 2026
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
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
Indeed, Uthemier’s lawsuit bears telltale signs of DeSantis’ bigotry and anti-diversity, anti-equality and anti-inclusion mania.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2026
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
There are telltale signs that there's too much moisture in your house, from condensation to unpleasant odors.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
What Cracks on a Watermelon Indicate Cracks on a watermelon can be a telltale sign of its freshness (or lack thereof).
—Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 May 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
The telltale mark of a fake tan?
—Deanna Pai, Glamour, 6 June 2026
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
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
Indeed, Uthemier’s lawsuit bears telltale signs of DeSantis’ bigotry and anti-diversity, anti-equality and anti-inclusion mania.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2026
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
There are telltale signs that there's too much moisture in your house, from condensation to unpleasant odors.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
What Cracks on a Watermelon Indicate Cracks on a watermelon can be a telltale sign of its freshness (or lack thereof).
—Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 May 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
-
One person alone isn’t indicative of UCLA’s wins or losses, Inouye-Perez says.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
According to Fontaine, the experiment demonstrated that sterile soil supports a flow of electrons indicative of processes that resemble the oxygen-dependent metabolism of the Krebs cycle.—
Siddhant Pusdekar,
Quanta Magazine,
1 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
-
Greylord was a watershed moment in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
-
The charges do not stem from the general practice of paying informants but from the Justice Department's allegations that the SPLC made these payments without disclosing the practice to donors and by defrauding banks.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
One of the vehicles also had a light-up arrow, and all three workers had their yellow and orange reflective gear on.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
But the season was also a reflective one.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
During Season 1, Santos — who, like Briones, is half-Filipino — surprised nurses Princess (Kristin Villanueva) and Perlah (Amielynn Abellera) by chiming in on their gossip session in Tagalog.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Then came last year’s The Most Dear and The Future, a slender collection of tracks that straddled a line between pop, ambient, folk, and dance with an air of rustic mysticism that seemed to travel through music circles like gossip bursting from localized containment.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
2 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
-
Now, the shuttles and buses are gearing up to start their engines in a few weeks, with the temporary circulator kicking off services on June 9 and the airport shuttle on June 1.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2026
-
These include helium circulators, turbines, steam generators, pumps, and instrumentation and controls for the reactor’s power and heat generation.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 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 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
