telltale

[tel-teyl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR telltale ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who heedlessly or maliciously reveals private or confidential matters; tattler; talebearer.

a thing serving to reveal or disclose something.

any of various indicating or registering devices, as a time clock.

Music. a gauge on an organ for indicating the air pressure.

an indicator showing the position of a ship's rudder.

a row of strips hung over a track to warn train crew members on freight trains that a low bridge, tunnel, or the like is approaching.

Yachting. (on a sailboat) a feather, string, or similar device, often attached to the port and starboard shrouds and to the backstay, to indicate the relative direction of the wind.

Squash. a narrow piece of metal across the front wall of a court, parallel to and extending 17 inches (43.2 cm) above the base: a ball striking this is an out.

adjective

that reveals or betrays what is not intended to be known: a telltale blush.

giving notice or warning of something, as a mechanical device.

Origin of telltale

First recorded in 1540–50; tell¹ + tale

Related formstell·tale·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for telltale

prognostic, giveaway, informative, meaningful, significant, suggestive, disclosing, evidential

Examples from the Web for telltale

Contemporary Examples of telltale

But these choices are where Iron from Ice (and other Telltale properties) sets itself apart.
‘Game of Thrones’ Interactive FanFiction: Whoops, My Friend Was Speared in the Throat
Alec Kubas-Meyer
December 13, 2014
Telltale can give the real Game of Thrones experience, but one that you can influence.
‘Game of Thrones’ Interactive FanFiction: Whoops, My Friend Was Speared in the Throat
Alec Kubas-Meyer
December 13, 2014
Broken twigs, trails to nowhere, and mini-debris landslides, despite the drought, were all telltale signs of heavy use.
The Foraging Wars: Extreme Eating Hits California
Debra A. Klein
January 31, 2014
These changes in heart rate are usually a telltale sign of infection.
Big Data’s Powerful Effect on Tiny Babies
CNBC
September 18, 2013
It can cause pneumonia and encephalitis, as well as the telltale rash and “measly” feeling of those who are ill.
A Maddening Case of the Measles in Orthodox Jewish Brooklyn
Kent Sepkowitz
June 13, 2013

Historical Examples of telltale

Letty nodded without looking at him; there was a telltale quivering in her face.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
He had stolen the telltale agreement too and now held all the cards—all of them.
The Vagrant Duke
George Gibbs
He had found the trail again, a telltale footprint with the patched sole.
The Plunderer
Roy Norton
Had he been looking at her he would have seen the telltale color tide her cheeks.
The Highgrader
William MacLeod Raine
At this point, the wide, old boards of the floor gave a telltale snap.
The Rich Little Poor Boy
Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for telltale

telltale

noun

a person who tells tales about others

an outward indication of something concealed
(as modifier)a telltale paw mark

any of various indicators or recording devices used to monitor a process, machine, etc

nautical

another word for dogvane
one of a pair of light vanes mounted on the main shrouds of a sailing boat to indicate the apparent direction of the wind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for telltale

1540s (n.), 1590s (adj.), from tell + tale, in phrase to tell a tale "relate a false or exaggerated story" (late 13c.).