adjective
-
having a marked effect or impact
a telling blow
-
revealing
a telling smile
Other Word Forms
- tellingly adverb
- untelling adjective
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.
Was she telling the truth about not knowing Epstein and Maxwell?
From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026
Although US Congressman Khanna has rejected this, telling The Times there could be a meeting between survivors and the King without any "specific facts regarding his brother" being discussed.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Hundreds of predominantly young Tisza supporters mingled in the crowd, with one telling AFP he came along to "bid goodbye" to Orban.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
In Ackman’s telling, Ronda is in the wrong, since she handled human resources at the time of the incident and she reported to a woman herself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
It is possible for a life to be ruined and to realize the story you thought you were telling was a different kind of story.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
