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.
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.
Definition of telling adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
The word 'telling' comes from the Old English 'tellan', which meant to count, relate, or explain. In Middle English, it evolved to refer to revealing or narrating events, linking it to storytelling.
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."
