- present participle of tell.
adjective
-
having a marked effect or impact
a telling blow
-
revealing
a telling smile
Other Word 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.
She previously dismissed a call from the DUP to resign over her role in protests telling the assembly she was "proud" to stand with the residents and "will continue to stand with them".
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
The Washington Post team was honoured for telling the story of a Ukrainian soldier trapped in a combat zone for 177 days.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Quiñones agreed to devote $1 million from the office’s budget to build such a room, but senior officials saw it as unnecessary, telling diGenova to work out of an FBI office nearby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
But in August, he canceled shows because of vocal and technical problems before telling fans he needed to pause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
I don’t bother telling her that I’ve also been waiting for Dad to come to one of my events.
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.
