adjective
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having a marked effect or impact
a telling blow
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revealing
a telling smile
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of telling
Explanation
Something that's telling is either significant,or it reveals information. Getting twice as much allowance will have a telling effect on your ability to buy new books. When it comes to economics, a telling indicator of a country's state is how much money its citizens spend each month. And you can see that a movie has had a telling effect on its audience if it leaves them all weeping. If you reveal something without meaning to, that's telling as well: "The look on his face was telling." This adjective dates from the mid-1800s, from the verb tell and its sense of "to reveal or disclose."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"If I tried to sleep in the toilets, the staff would come banging on the door, telling me to get out. It was hard."
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Some online businesses hesitate about telling customers about low inventory, fearful they might shop elsewhere or refrain from buying anything else on their website.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
By giving an episode to each of our lead four characters, we could use their view of the island to make sure the complexity of Golding’s telling shined.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Only long walks outside could counter my phone telling me for hours each day that L.A. was cooked.
From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026
Experience has taught me that telling her stuff like this just makes it harder for Jonah and me.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
