adjective
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having a marked effect or impact
a telling blow
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revealing
a telling smile
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Police in Herat denied there had been any deaths, but have acknowledged they responded to the protest, telling the BBC that officers had "taken action to ensure security and maintain public order".
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The researchers initially thought there was a possibility that telling customers an item was in low supply might actually increase demand for it by making it seem more appealing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
“Queer people, we’re the ones who are telling all the queer stories,” Delgado Lopera says.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Only long walks outside could counter my phone telling me for hours each day that L.A. was cooked.
From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026
And then I hear a voice telling me to go, and I realize that it’s my gut — my butterflies urging me to see and heed their flags.
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.
