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reveal

[ri-veel]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to make known; disclose; divulge: to reveal a secret.
  2. to lay open to view; display; exhibit.
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noun
  1. an act or instance of revealing; revelation; disclosure.
  2. Architecture.
    1. the part of the jamb of a window or door opening between the outer wall surface and the window or door frame.
    2. the whole jamb of an opening between the outer and inner surfaces of a wall.
  3. the framework or edge of an automobile window.
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Origin of reveal

1325–75; (v.) Middle English revelen < Middle French reveler < Latin revēlāre to unveil (see re-, veil); (in defs 4, 5) derivative of obsolete revale to lower < Old French revaler (re- re- + (a)valer to lower, verbal derivative of the phrase à val down; see vale)
Related formsre·veal·a·ble, adjectivere·veal·a·bil·i·ty, re·veal·a·ble·ness, nounre·veal·ed·ly [ri-vee-lid-lee, -veeld-] /rɪˈvi lɪd li, -ˈvild-/, adverbre·veal·er, nounre·veal·ing·ly, adverbre·veal·ing·ness, nounre·vel·a·tive [ri-vel-uh-tiv, rev-uh-ley-] /rɪˈvɛl ə tɪv, ˈrɛv əˌleɪ-/, adjectivehalf-re·vealed, adjectivenon·re·veal·ing, adjectivepre·re·veal, verb (used with object)self-re·vealed, adjectiveun·re·veal·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·vealed, adjectiveun·re·veal·ing, adjectiveun·re·veal·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for reveal

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1, 2. unveil, publish, impart, tell, announce, proclaim. Reveal, disclose, divulge share the meaning of making known something previously concealed or secret. To reveal is to uncover as if by drawing away a veil: The fog lifted and revealed the harbor. To disclose is to lay open and thereby invite inspection: to disclose the plans of an organization. To divulge is to communicate, sometimes to a large number of people, what was at first intended to be private, confidential, or secret: to divulge the terms of a contract.

Antonyms for reveal

1, 2. conceal, hide.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for unrevealing

ambiguous, cautious, tactful, equivocal, wary, neutral, discreet, circumspect, evasive, judicious, careful, vague, guarded, hush-hush, indefinite, middle-of-the-road, politic, reserved, restrained, tentative

Examples from the Web for unrevealing

Historical Examples of unrevealing

  • Baffled for the moment, he was silent, watching her unrevealing face.

    Atlantic Narratives

    Mary Antin

  • They are poker eyes—gray-blue, cold, penetrating, unrevealing.

    Abroad at Home

    Julian Street

  • The stout man was unknown to Ben, perhaps one of the replacements signed on at Kingston; a greasy, unrevealing face.

    Wilderness of Spring

    Edgar Pangborn

  • As Randal spoke thus at length, he watched anxiously his patron's reserved, unrevealing countenance.

    My Novel, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • Joy had burst asunder the last ligaments, so fretted away in unrevealing sorrow.

    My Novel, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for unrevealing

reveal

verb (tr)
  1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to disclose (a secret); divulge
  2. to expose to view or show (something concealed)
  3. (of God) to disclose (divine truths) either directly or through the medium of prophets, etc
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noun
  1. architect the vertical side of an opening in a wall, esp the side of a window or door between the frame and the front of the wall
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Derived Formsrevealable, adjectiverevealability, nounrevealer, nounrevealment, noun

Word Origin for reveal

C14: from Old French reveler, from Latin revēlāre to unveil, from re- + vēlum a veil
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 unrevealing

reveal

v.

late 14c., from Old French reveler "reveal" (14c.), from Latin revelare "reveal, uncover, disclose," literally "unveil," from re- "opposite of" (see re-) + velare "to cover, veil," from velum "a veil" (see veil (n.)). Related: Revealed; revealing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper