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.
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Recent Examples of telltale
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
At one Nutex emergency room, a receptionist turned away an uninsured patient who arrived with the telltale signs of a heart attack but was unable to pay upfront.
—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
29 June 2026
The second swing was more of an off-balanced flail, the telltale sign of being fooled by a breaking ball.
—
Justice Delos Santos,
Mercury News,
28 June 2026
The telltale signs are everywhere.
—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Miller was dominating Northeast Dubois’ hitters, and there was a telltale sign.
—
Michael Osipoff,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2026
University of Oxford ancient DNA researcher Ruairidh Macleod and his colleagues recently sequenced the telltale bacterial DNA in teeth from plague victims at four ancient cemeteries in the area around Russia’s Lake Baikal.
—
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2026
Another telltale sign of an infestation is seeing swarmers indoors.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone,
Southern Living,
15 June 2026
Ubie lists four telltale signs that caffeine tolerance has set in.
—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
13 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
The telltale signs of a screwworm infection are the growing wounds or lesions and the presence of feeding maggots on living animals.
—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
29 June 2026
At one Nutex emergency room, a receptionist turned away an uninsured patient who arrived with the telltale signs of a heart attack but was unable to pay upfront.
—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
29 June 2026
The second swing was more of an off-balanced flail, the telltale sign of being fooled by a breaking ball.
—
Justice Delos Santos,
Mercury News,
28 June 2026
The telltale signs are everywhere.
—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2026
Miller was dominating Northeast Dubois’ hitters, and there was a telltale sign.
—
Michael Osipoff,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2026
University of Oxford ancient DNA researcher Ruairidh Macleod and his colleagues recently sequenced the telltale bacterial DNA in teeth from plague victims at four ancient cemeteries in the area around Russia’s Lake Baikal.
—
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2026
Another telltale sign of an infestation is seeing swarmers indoors.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone,
Southern Living,
15 June 2026
Ubie lists four telltale signs that caffeine tolerance has set in.
—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
13 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
-
Past performance is not indicative of future results.
-
Any prices or levels shown are either historical or purely indicative.
Noun
-
Celebrity gossiper Rob Shuter reported that the two recently let go of a number of their staff.
-
Her staff figured out how to get rid of the gossiper.
Noun
-
Two years ago, an FBI informant met with a South Florida man who expressed his desire to join an anti-government militia and build a bomb targeting a New York City landmark, the FBI said.
-
Babeuf was betrayed by an informant, put on trial in 1797, and eventually acquitted of conspiracy, but he was executed for committing his ideas about inequality to print.
Adjective
-
Was came from a working-class industrial city, making music reflective of Detroit’s technological upheaval and economic neglect.
-
Practically architectural in its precision, her hair is pulled straight back and upwards without a visible part to create a smooth, downright reflective surface from her hairline to the crown.
Noun
-
Celebrity gossip Instagram account Deuxmoi was among the first to report on Alwyn and Pidgeon’s budding romance, receiving several anonymous tips about the pair.
-
Despite hosting all kinds of wagers, including celebrity gossip like Taylor Swift’s possible bridesmaids, the user base has skewed mostly male.
Noun
-
One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.
Noun
-
School officials say a circulator shuttle service will be available to help students, staff and faculty access the plaza.
-
School board races are nonpartisan, but objectors argue the restriction applies because many candidates used circulators who also gathered signatures for candidates in the March Democratic primary.
Noun
-
Restaurants As The Canary The restaurant industry is a useful canary for any business watching this dynamic.
-
The Edge and Adam Clayton both release canaries into the air in slow motion.
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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