Library / English Dictionary

TELLTALE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who gossips indiscreetly

Synonyms:

blabbermouth; talebearer; taleteller; tattler; tattletale; telltale

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("telltale" is a kind of...):

gossip; gossiper; gossipmonger; newsmonger; rumormonger; rumourmonger (a person given to gossiping and divulging personal information about others)

Derivation:

telltale (disclosing unintentionally something concealed)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Disclosing unintentionally something concealed

Example:

a telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down

Synonyms:

revealing; telling; telltale

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

informative; informatory (providing or conveying information)

Derivation:

telltale (someone who gossips indiscreetly)

Credits

 Context examples: 

In a 2011 study, scientists from Finland's University of Turku collaborated with colleagues at Turku University Hospital, to see if small accelerometers could be used to detect the telltale tiny chest movements associated with atrial fibrillation.

(Heart-Checking App May Help Prevent Strokes, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

This type of observation allows scientists to look for the telltale signs of the planets' chemical constituents, such as water.

('Cotton Candy' Planet Mysteries Unravel in New Hubble Observations, NASA)