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
Maria Braganini, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
The mislabeling of President Andrew Jackson’s portrait is just one of the telltale signs signifying that some bills getting passed around in Greater Boston are movie props and not legal tender.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The telltale sign that jumping worms are in your garden is that the top of the soil looks like it’s covered in coffee grounds, which is in fact the worm’s feces, the CDA says.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
Signs of Spoilage in Cauliflower While cauliflower stays fresh longer than many other vegetables, keep an eye out for telltale signs of spoilage.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026
Zaber recommends keeping an eye out for trails of slime and holes chewed through leaves as telltale signs of these bugs.
—Nishaa Sharma, The Spruce, 19 Apr. 2026
Measles symptoms don’t usually start with the telltale rash, Sergienko said.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
People with nonallergic rhinitis are less likely to have telltale symptoms of allergies, such as rapid-fire sneezing, Viswanathan says.
—Matt Fuchs, Scientific American, 15 Apr. 2026
The telltale rash of measles typically doesn’t appear until two to four days after those early flu-like symptoms.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
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 initial telltale symptom of the plague is an extremely swollen lymph node, according to Adalja.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 16 Feb. 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
Their most telltale sign is a uniform, granular soil texture like coffee grounds that sits on the soil's surface.
—Maria Braganini, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
The mislabeling of President Andrew Jackson’s portrait is just one of the telltale signs signifying that some bills getting passed around in Greater Boston are movie props and not legal tender.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The telltale sign that jumping worms are in your garden is that the top of the soil looks like it’s covered in coffee grounds, which is in fact the worm’s feces, the CDA says.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026
Signs of Spoilage in Cauliflower While cauliflower stays fresh longer than many other vegetables, keep an eye out for telltale signs of spoilage.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026
Zaber recommends keeping an eye out for trails of slime and holes chewed through leaves as telltale signs of these bugs.
—Nishaa Sharma, The Spruce, 19 Apr. 2026
Measles symptoms don’t usually start with the telltale rash, Sergienko said.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
People with nonallergic rhinitis are less likely to have telltale symptoms of allergies, such as rapid-fire sneezing, Viswanathan says.
—Matt Fuchs, Scientific American, 15 Apr. 2026
The telltale rash of measles typically doesn’t appear until two to four days after those early flu-like symptoms.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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 initial telltale symptom of the plague is an extremely swollen lymph node, according to Adalja.
—Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 16 Feb. 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
-
This shift—from novelty to acculturation—was, for Nadar, indicative of a transformation of historical experience initiated by a period of unparalleled technological change.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Past performance is not indicative of future results.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 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
-
Federal prosecutors in Alabama secured an 11-count indictment accusing the organization of paying millions of dollars to some of those undercover informants and hiding the real purpose of the payments from its donors.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
As Ballmer sees it, Sanberg agreed to cooperate in exchange for the league submitting a favorable sentencing letter to Judge Wilson, and thus he shouldn’t be regarded as a credible informant.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wabi-sabi design helps create a home that feels authentic, relaxed, and reflective of your real life.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Yet where its predecessor often had a reflective tone, their latest is about high-energy garage-rock catharsis, getting in a room and blasting away and letting the noise be your guide.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Besides, industry gossip, behind-the-curtain peeks and pure, uncut schadenfreude can move a lot of books.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Throughout March, rumors that West had begun dating his co-star Amanda Batula flooded gossip sites, though the two continuously denied said claims.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Apr. 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
-
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
-
Constitutional concerns helped tank a bill Tuesday in the South Dakota House of Representatives that aimed to ban payments to petition circulators in ballot measure campaigns.—
John Hult,
States Newsroom,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Vanessa Beecroft was a canary in the coal mine, merging, subverting, and exploiting art, fashion, money, and spectacle.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Freund said that influencers may be a canary in the coal mine for problems that all of us might soon face with the rise of this tech.—
Taylor Lorenz,
Vanity Fair,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Telltale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telltale. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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