telling

[tel-ing]

adjective

1. having force or effect; effective; striking.

   a telling blow.

   Synonyms: weighty, potent, forceful, powerful

2. revealing; indicative of much otherwise unnoticed.

   a telling analysis of motivation in business.

telling

/ ˈtɛlɪŋ /

adjective

1. having a marked effect or impact

   a telling blow

2. revealing

   a telling smile

Other Word Forms

• tellingly adverb
• untelling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of telling¹

First recorded in 1850–55; tell ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said by allowing the event to go ahead, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them".

Read more on BBC

She responded telling him she had read all his published novels, he added.

Read more on BBC

"This research reinforces what neuroscience has been telling us for years," Turecki said.

Read more on Science Daily

Just as in the regular series, we find a bunch of people attempting to find out who is lying and who is telling the truth, while faced with the enormous uncertainty of being "killed" off.

Read more on BBC

The 63-year-old Boluarte appeared outside her home in Lima to dispel rumors that she would flee abroad, telling journalists: "Media reports said... that I was looking to get asylum. None of that is true."

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• cogent 
• conspicuous 
• convincing 
• decisive 
• devastating 
• forceful 
• powerful 
• satisfying www.thesaurus.com
• striking 
• trenchant