- present participle of reveal.
revealing
Britishadjective
-
of significance or import
a very revealing experience
-
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.
The real show starts when the enormous outer layer called a spathe opens up, revealing a deep reddish interior.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
"I am only making this decision now because I failed to make it many times before," she wrote, revealing that over seven years of illness, she had repeatedly ignored advice to slow down.
From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026
They include a BBC Spotlight programme revealing that two senior DUP figures were made aware in 2021 of claims from a woman who said she had been "exploited" by Donaldson.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
Live Nation unveiled Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s joint tour in January, revealing a 26-city lineup with concerts in Chicago, Orlando, Fla., San Francisco and Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026
Maybe he meant to be helpful in trying to keep me at home, but his old-fashioned expectations were revealing themselves like a sagging slip.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
