adj
Meaning 1
telltale; giveaway
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
tattletale
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American: /ˈtætəlˌteɪl/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
noun
Meaning 2
One who tattles (reports others' wrongdoings), often a child seeking attention.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: childish, colloquial
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tattler, whistle-blower, nark, snitch, abaddon, accuser, beefer, bewrayer, bigmouth, blabber, blabtale, blabtongue, canary, CI, finger, fink, fizgig, gossip, grass, informant, informer, jurat, leak, mole, narc, nonce, outer, peacher, quisling, rat, ratfink, rooster, sneak, snout, squealer, state's evidence, stooge, stool pigeon, stoolie, supergrass, sycophant, tattletale, telltale tit, telltale, tout, whistleblower
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
One who gossips, often for the sake of attention.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: childish, colloquial
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gossip, rumourmonger, carrytale, blab, blabbermouth, blabtale, blabtongue, busybody, buzzer, gossiper, gossipmonger, meddler, mouth, mumblenews, newsmonger, rumormonger, scandalmonger, sleazemonger, tabby, talebearer, talecarrier, tattletale, telltale, telltale tit, titivil, tittle-tattle, town crier, whisperer
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To act as a tattletale; to tell on; to give away, reveal, or expose.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive, childish, colloquial
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
someone who gossips indiscreetly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tattler, taleteller, talebearer, telltale, blabbermouth
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: gossip, gossiper, gossipmonger, rumormonger, rumourmonger, newsmonger
History
Etymology
From tattle + tale.
Across languages
Translations
65 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Dutch: onthullend — telltale
- German: verräterisch — telltale
- Portuguese: cabueta — telltale
- Azerbaijani: xəbərçi — one who tattles
- Bashkir: ошаҡсы (oşaqsı) — one who tattles
- Cebuano: sumbongero — one who tattles
- Czech: žalobníček — one who tattles
- Dutch: klikspaan — one who tattles
- Finnish: juorukello — one who tattles
- French: cafteur — one who tattles
- French: cafteuse — one who tattles
- German: Petze — one who tattles
- German: Verpetzer — one who tattles
- German: Verpfeifer — one who tattles
- German: Anschwärzer — one who tattles
- German: Petzer — one who tattles
- Indonesian: cepu — one who tattles
- Latin: gestor — one who tattles
- Māori: pīwaiwaka — one who tattles
- Persian: چغل (čoġol) — one who tattles
- Plautdietsch: Pludadoos — one who tattles
- Polish: skarżypyta — one who tattles
- Portuguese: alcaguete — one who tattles
- Portuguese: delator — one who tattles
- Portuguese: dedo-duro — one who tattles
- Portuguese: queixinhas — one who tattles
- Russian: я́беда (jábeda) — one who tattles
- Spanish: acusica — one who tattles
- Spanish: cuentero — one who tattles
- Spanish: soplón — one who tattles
- Spanish: hocicón — one who tattles
- Spanish: correveidile — one who tattles
- Swedish: skvallerbytta — one who tattles
- Turkish: gammaz — one who tattles
- Turkish: ispiyoncu — one who tattles
- Azerbaijani: qeybətçi — one who gossips
- Azerbaijani: xəbərçi — one who gossips
- Bashkir: ғәйбәтсе (ğəybətse) — one who gossips
- Bashkir: ошаҡсы (oşaqsı) — one who gossips
- Dutch: roddelaar — one who gossips
- Dutch: roddelaarster — one who gossips
- Esperanto: klaĉemulino — one who gossips
- Esperanto: klaĉemulo — one who gossips
- French: commère — one who gossips
- German: Klatschbase — one who gossips
- German: Quasselstrippe — one who gossips
- German: Quatschtüte — one who gossips
- German: Schwätzer — one who gossips
- German: Schwätzerin — one who gossips
- German: Tratschtante — one who gossips
- German: Tratschliese — one who gossips
- Italian: pettegolo — one who gossips
- Italian: pettegola — one who gossips
- Portuguese: fofoqueiro — one who gossips
- Portuguese: mexeriqueiro — one who gossips
- Russian: спле́тник (splétnik) — one who gossips
- Russian: спле́тница (splétnica) — one who gossips
- Russian: болту́н (boltún) — one who gossips
- Russian: болту́нья (boltúnʹja) — one who gossips
- Russian: болту́шка (boltúška) — one who gossips
- Spanish: chismoso — one who gossips
- Spanish: hocicón — one who gossips
- Spanish: gacetilla — one who gossips
- Swedish: skvallertant — one who gossips
- Swedish: sladdertacka — one who gossips