1
as in gossipers
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
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2
as in informants
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 telltales
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
Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for telltales
Noun
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Jessica Simpson has gotten used to gossipers gossiping about her private life.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
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The Justice Department accuses the group of fraud in connection with its payments to informants.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
6 May 2026
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Greylord was a watershed 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,
4 May 2026
Noun
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The piece contends that while rumors circulated among political gossips and online, these remained unsubstantiated whispers that did not meet journalism’s evidentiary threshold for publication.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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Local gossips claimed that Chin Ming Tai paid Moy Sing a bride price of $20,000, an astronomical sum for the time.—
Charlotte Brooks,
Big Think,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
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Security services also rely on informers to tell them who might be using Starlink, and search internet and social media traffic for signs it has been used.—
David Rising,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That principle is why coal miners once brought canaries underground, as one emergency medicine doctor explained in a recent court declaration.—
Lisa Song,
ProPublica,
7 May 2026
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These living materials could also serve as canaries in the coal mine for water safety, glowing brighter or dimming in the presence of specific toxins.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Telltales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltales. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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