If something is telling, it shows the true nature of a person or situation. It was her expression that was the most telling. How a man shaves may be a telling clue to his age.

Context Explanation

AOL: Your Cat’s Real Age Might Surprise You. Here’s How to Tell You might think your cat is just hitting its stride, but in cat years, they could be well into their golden days. The way cats age is sneaky, and what looks like a spry young feline might actually be ... Definition of telling adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Insight Material

Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. The meaning of TELLING is carrying great weight and producing a marked effect : effective, expressive. How to use telling in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Telling. 1.

Final Conclusion

having force or effect; effective; striking: a telling blow. 2. indicative of much otherwise unnoticed; revealing: a telling analysis. TELLING definition: 1. showing the truth about a situation or showing what someone really thinks: 2. showing the truth….

Learn more. If you reveal something without meaning to, that's telling as well: "The look on his face was telling." This adjective dates from the mid-1800s, from the verb tell and its sense of "to reveal or disclose."