telltale

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled tell-tale

US /ˈtɛlteɪl/ See IPA manual

Freq #31372

Meanings

1

adj
Clearly revealing something, often something meant to be hidden.

The dirty footprints were a telltale sign that someone had been inside.
2

noun
Something that reveals or gives away a hidden fact.

The lipstick on his collar was the telltale that gave him away.
3

noun
A person who reports others' secrets or misbehaviour to get them in trouble.

Nobody trusted him because he was known as a telltale.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · clearly revealing... telling

3 noun · a person who reports... tattlerblabbermouthgossip

Word family

Forms telltales

Etymology

From tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”).

tale tellere Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# telltale

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈtɛlteɪl/
**Frequency rank:** 31372

## Meanings
1. Clearly revealing something, often something meant to be hidden.
2. Something that reveals or gives away a hidden fact.
3. A person who reports others' secrets or misbehaviour to get them in trouble.

## Examples
- The dirty footprints were a telltale sign that someone had been inside.
- The lipstick on his collar was the telltale that gave him away.
- Nobody trusted him because he was known as a telltale.

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: tale tellere

## Etymology
From tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”).

## AI Etymology
Telltale is from tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”). In present-day use, it can mean clearly revealing something, often something meant to be hidden, or something that reveals or gives away a hidden fact.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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