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
- revealingly adverb
- revealingness noun
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Dead and the Gone" Susan Beth Pfeffer, Chapters 11–14
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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 researchers observed deviations from this law by more than 200 times at low temperatures, revealing a striking separation between how charge and heat move through the material.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
“It is revealing that the thing that everyone expected to happen or expected ‘should’ happen is not happening.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
It’s no shock that his second Netflix special “Purple” is the most revealing of who he is at a time when folks are finally paying attention.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
When sound vibrates the cable, it changes the returning light, revealing what is happening, and where, along the cable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Colin adjusts his gray cap, revealing his tanned face.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
