Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun telling

3 senses of telling

Sense 1
relation, telling, recounting -- (an act of narration; "he was the hero according to his own relation"; "his endless recounting of the incident eventually became unbearable")
       => narration, recital, yarn -- (the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events; "his narration was hesitant")

Sense 2
telling, apprisal, notification -- (informing by words)
       => informing, making known -- (a speech act that conveys information)

Sense 3
tattle, singing, telling -- (disclosing information or giving evidence about another)
       => disclosure, revelation, revealing -- (the speech act of making something evident)

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb tell

8 senses of tell

Sense 1
state, say, tell -- (express in words; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name")
       => express, verbalize, verbalise, utter, give tongue to -- (articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse")

Sense 2
tell -- (let something be known; "Tell them that you will be late")
       => inform -- (impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights")
          Phrasal Verb-> tell off#1

Sense 3
tell, narrate, recount, recite -- (narrate or give a detailed account of; "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child")
       => inform -- (impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights")

Sense 4
order, tell, enjoin, say -- (give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority; "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed")
       => request -- (ask (a person) to do something; "She asked him to be here at noon"; "I requested that she type the entire manuscript")

Sense 5
tell -- (discern or comprehend; "He could tell that she was unhappy")
       => guess, infer -- (guess correctly; solve by guessing; "He guessed the right number of beans in the jar and won the prize")

Sense 6
assure, tell -- (inform positively and with certainty and confidence; "I tell you that man is a crook!")
       => affirm, verify, assert, avow, aver, swan, swear -- (to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true; "Before God I swear I am innocent")

Sense 7
tell, evidence -- (give evidence; "he was telling on all his former colleague")
       => inform -- (act as an informer; "She had informed on her own parents for years")
          Phrasal Verb-> tell apart#1

Sense 8
distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apart -- (mark as different; "We distinguish several kinds of maple")
       => identify, place -- (recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something; "She identified the man on the 'wanted' poster")

Antonyms of adj telling

3 senses of telling

Sense 1
revealing, telling, telltale (prenominal) -- (disclosing unintentionally; "a telling smile"; "a telltale panel of lights"; "a telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down")

INDIRECT (VIA informative) -> uninformative -- (lacking information)

Sense 2
cogent, telling, weighty -- (powerfully persuasive; "a cogent argument"; "a telling presentation"; "a weighty argument")

INDIRECT (VIA persuasive) -> dissuasive -- (deterring from action; "dissuasive advice"; "made a slight dissuasive gesture with her hand")

Sense 3
impressive, telling -- (producing a strong effect; "gave an impressive performance as Othello"; "a telling gesture")

INDIRECT (VIA effective) -> ineffective, uneffective, ineffectual -- (not producing an intended effect; "an ineffective teacher"; "ineffective legislation")

Similarity of adj telling

3 senses of telling

Sense 1
revealing, telling, telltale (prenominal) -- (disclosing unintentionally; "a telling smile"; "a telltale panel of lights"; "a telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down")
       => informative (vs. uninformative), informatory -- (providing or conveying information)

Sense 2
cogent, telling, weighty -- (powerfully persuasive; "a cogent argument"; "a telling presentation"; "a weighty argument")
       => persuasive (vs. dissuasive) -- (intended or having the power to induce action or belief; "persuasive eloquence"; "a most persuasive speaker"; "a persuasive argument")

Sense 3
impressive, telling -- (producing a strong effect; "gave an impressive performance as Othello"; "a telling gesture")
       => effective (vs. ineffective), effectual, efficacious -- (producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect; "an air-cooled motor was more effective than a witch's broomstick for rapid long-distance transportation"-LewisMumford; "effective teaching methods"; "effective steps toward peace"; "made an effective entrance"; "his complaint proved to be effectual in bringing action"; "an efficacious law")