revealing
Americanadjective
-
eye-opening or enlightening; disclosing much.
-
(of a garment) showing areas of the body that are usually kept covered.
adjective
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of significance or import
a very revealing experience
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showing or designed to show more of the body than is usual or conventional
a revealing costume
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Use the adjective revealing to describe disclosing something that was hidden, either literally or figuratively. If you ask people if they've ever cheated on a test, you may get revealing answers that tell you whether the person is honest or not. Revealing comes from the Latin word revelare, which literally means "unveil," and that word has its roots in re-, meaning "the opposite of," and velare meaning "to cover or veil." It is little wonder that the adjective revealing is often used to describe clothing that leaves little to the imagination. If your daughter's date comes to the door in a revealing shirt with almost every button undone, you might ask him to put on a jacket or else he'll be sure to catch cold.
Vocabulary lists containing revealing
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
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"The Dead and the Gone" Susan Beth Pfeffer, Chapters 11–14
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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.
By revealing the intricate connections, specialized functions, and unusual physical structure of neurons in the locus coeruleus, the research provides a more detailed picture of how the animal brain communicates and learns.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
The announcement comes a year after the Slovenian-born former model stunned the world by revealing she had established a back channel of communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Last week the IFR published its State of the Game report, revealing that 94% of clubs are loss-making, and more than 60% of EFL and National League clubs are technically insolvent.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The measurements allowed the scientists to distinguish different uranium oxide phases within the radioactive fragments, revealing details that had previously been inaccessible.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Clare snatched up a bottle of dried blushers, revealing a rat cowering on the shelf behind it.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
