telltales

noun

plural of telltale
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

Relevance
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

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for telltales
  1. gossipers
  2. informants
  3. gossips
  4. informers
  5. canaries
Noun
  • Jessica Simpson has gotten used to gossipers gossiping about her private life.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of gossipers
Noun
  • These punteros, as they’re called, have for years worked as low-level informants for the cartel.
    — Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In April, the SPLC was charged as an organization with bank fraud and money laundering offenses related to its paying of informants to infiltrate hate groups.
    — Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of informants
Noun
  • Though the Colonel had many enemies, the violence of his death shocks the sleepy village and starts the tongues of the local gossips wagging.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 July 2026
  • Even when Romanzy goes off on how stupid and ugly Caleb is — and gossips that his parents abandoned him because something must be wrong with him — Mary goes along with it.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
Definition of gossips
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
Definition of informers
Noun
  • The Edge and Adam Clayton both release canaries into the air in slow motion.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 26 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of canaries

Browse Nearby Words

telltale
telltales
telly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Telltales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltales. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on telltales

Nglish: Translation of telltales for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All