What does "telltale" mean?
One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.
Telltale
/ˈtɛlteɪl/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.
- Grammar: telltale is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: a tale-bearing animal, babbling, betrayal, betrayer.
- Useful contrasts: concealing, concealment, hidden.
- Usage evidence: Nested dolls are a telltale Russian export.
How to use "telltale"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "telltale" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "telltale" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "telltale" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "telltale" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "telltale" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a tale-bearing animal" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "telltale", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.
"Your husband is at hand; I heare his Trumpet, / We are not tell-tales, Madam; feare you not."
- 2 someone who gossips indiscreetly wordnet
- 3 An indicator, such as a warning light, that serves to warn of a hazard or problem.
"A railroad company, which has properly erected a “telltale,” or signal board, to give warning of the approach of a train to a bridge and which lights the place at night by an electric light, is not responsible for injury caused at night by the “telltale” to a brakeman who had been passing under it at regular intervals for five weeks, though when injured he was standing upon a new car higher than those before used, and though he ad received no warning from the company as to the danger of standing upon such a car while passing under the "telltale"."
- 4 Something that serves to reveal something else. figuratively
"The telltale was the lipstick on his shirt collar."
- 5 A movable piece of ivory, lead, or other material, connected to the bellows of an organ, whose position indicates when the wind is exhausted.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A length of yarn or ribbon attached to a sail or shroud etc to indicate the direction of the flow of the air relative to the boat.
"The sailmakers mistake can be an excellent way to lose a race as the telltale signals were disturbed and confusing."
- 7 A mechanical attachment to the steering wheel, which, in the absence of a tiller, shows the position of the helm.
- 8 A compass in the cabin of a vessel, usually placed where the captain can see it at all hours, and thus inform himself of the vessel's course.
- 9 A machine or contrivance for indicating or recording something, particularly for keeping a check upon employees (factory hands, watchmen, drivers, etc.) by revealing to their employers what they have done or omitted.
- 10 A bird, the tattler.
- 11 A story or fable that has a moral or message.
""Metamorphoses . . ." is the title of a book of telltales (or serialised fables) written by Lucius Apulei¡us, a neo-platonist priest in the second century A.D."
Adjective
- 1 Revealing something, especially something not intended to be known.
"I noticed the snow was dirty, a telltale sign of recent human presence."
Adjective
- 1 disclosing unintentionally something concealed wordnet
Example
"Nested dolls are a telltale Russian export."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "telltale"?
Common synonyms include: a tale-bearing animal, babbling, betrayal, betrayer, blab, blabber.
How do you use "telltale" in a sentence?
Nested dolls are a telltale Russian export.
How do you pronounce "telltale"?
Pronounced /ˈtɛlteɪl/.
Etymology
From tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”).