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
Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 18 May 2026
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
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
Online haters were commenting about her swollen face – a telltale sign of the hormonal disorder.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 18 May 2026
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
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
-
Any prices or levels shown are either historical or purely indicative.—
Katie Stockton,
CNBC,
25 May 2026
-
Hurricanes spend first period in danger zone At the end of the first period, Carolina had posted a 14-13 edge in shots — a fact that couldn’t have been less indicative of what actually happened in those 20 minutes’ worth of play.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
22 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
-
Maybe every second man in those crazy groups was an informant.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
-
Sandweg said one of the director's most underappreciated responsibilities is managing that internal fault line, ensuring that ERO's highly visible arrest operations do not undermine HSI's ability to cultivate the confidential informants and foreign partnerships on which its work depends.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The fabric carries a soft, almost reflective sheen, lending the silhouette a sense of movement even at rest.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
And then an older, more mature, more reflective Kyle Busch spoke to FS1 after the race.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Let the whole village gossip and shun me!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
In that kind of environment, gossip and rumors spread quickly.—
Inga Bielińska,
Forbes.com,
27 May 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
-
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
-
Healthcare workers are the canary in almost every Ebola outbreak.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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