WordofTheDay.US

Added 9 October 2026

telling

/ˈtɛlɪŋ/ noun

Categories: LanguageEveryday Words

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about telling at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. An act of narration.
    he was the hero according to his own relation
  2. Informing by words.
  3. Disclosing information or giving evidence about another.

adjective

  1. Disclosing unintentionally something concealed.
    a telling smile
  2. Powerfully persuasive.
    a cogent argument
  3. Producing a strong effect.
    gave an impressive performance as Othello

Origin

Gerund from the verb tell, from tell + -ing.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: forcefulimpressiveeffectiveeffectualefficaciousrevealingapprisalcogentnotificationinformativeweightyinformatory

Back to today's word