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
Carinne Geil Botta, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
The sun hangs high like a yolk suspended in the summer sky, and a telltale wind ensures a good showing at the final Saturday competition of the season.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
Brown collected speech examples of 49 Canadians from online sources and analyzed the samples using the telltale acoustic markers of vocal fry, such as low and/or irregular pitch, spectral tilt (differences in amplitude between the first and second harmonics), and harmonics-to-noise ratios.
—ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
The team hunted for a telltale sign that the springs and wells had a connection with Earth’s mantle, the layer sandwiched between the crust and the core that’s hundreds of miles thick.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Instead telltale hints of their existence primarily show up in studies of galaxies that are big and bright enough for JWST to see clear across the universe.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 13 May 2026
Making an impact on the Patriots’ varsity team as a freshman and receiving his first scholarship offer as a sophomore were telltale signs that Pagliocca would be able to fulfill that dream.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 3 May 2026
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
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 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 only telltale sign of what lies below the surface is a metal set of stairs, leading into the icy blue channel, and small groups of divers and snorkelers waddling across the gravel paths in full gear.
—Carinne Geil Botta, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
The sun hangs high like a yolk suspended in the summer sky, and a telltale wind ensures a good showing at the final Saturday competition of the season.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
Brown collected speech examples of 49 Canadians from online sources and analyzed the samples using the telltale acoustic markers of vocal fry, such as low and/or irregular pitch, spectral tilt (differences in amplitude between the first and second harmonics), and harmonics-to-noise ratios.
—ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
The team hunted for a telltale sign that the springs and wells had a connection with Earth’s mantle, the layer sandwiched between the crust and the core that’s hundreds of miles thick.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Instead telltale hints of their existence primarily show up in studies of galaxies that are big and bright enough for JWST to see clear across the universe.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 13 May 2026
Making an impact on the Patriots’ varsity team as a freshman and receiving his first scholarship offer as a sophomore were telltale signs that Pagliocca would be able to fulfill that dream.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Stay vigilant by monitoring the sky for ominous signs and listening for the telltale sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Daily News, 3 May 2026
Noun
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
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 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.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
The finale was indicative of this.—
Reshma Gopaldas,
IndieWire,
17 May 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
-
The only reason anybody learned about it was the informant’s guilty plea.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
Lea Garofalo Lea Garofalo was an Italian civilian informant whose break with the ’Ndrangheta ended in her murder.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
The activity is not unlike the way US and Soviet submarines tailed one another in the Cold War, but instead of running silent and running deep, highly reflective satellites easily stand out against the inky blackness of space.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
-
The room and exhibition were rooted in vibrant yellow and orange hues, reflective of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa, believed to be the birthplace of modern humankind.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Yolande was bold, vivacious, and beloved of every gossip columnist.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
This isn’t a high-stakes thread—just a daily mix of media gossip, memes, and the occasional plan to meet up for drinks.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The whole family is deeply involved in the revolutionary movement: the oldest son disappears into Siberia, never to be seen or heard of again, while the youngest, eighteen, is jailed together with his father, and executed after his cell is exposed by an informer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 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
-
That is the canary in the 2 percent statistic.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
After Spirit Airlines ceased operations, in the middle of the night on May 2nd, a series of canary-yellow airplanes sat on the tarmac at Newark Airport, arranged neatly like children’s toys at day’s end.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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