- 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.
“They can plan ahead if you just give them the information. It’s not about perfection. It’s about telling people what to expect.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Bessent signaled that the pressure campaign is about to intensify, telling Newsmax more measures would be announced next week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
She scrapped her biggest-selling nights but later decided the show must go on, telling the BBC: "It has been really horrible but what I need right now is a really good vibe."
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Tech CEOs, mimicking the villains of sci-fi, are telling the public that resistance is futile.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 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.
