telling

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of tell

adj

1. Having force, or having a marked effect; weighty, effective.

   “a telling blow”

2. Revealing information; bearing significance.

   “a telling smile”

   “But ever since the concept of "hamartia" recurred through Aristotle's Poetics, in an attempt to describe man's ingrained iniquity, our impulse has been to identify a telling defect in those brought suddenly and dramatically low.”

3. Serving to convince.

   “telling evidence”

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The act of narration.
2. (countable, uncountable)The disclosure of information.

   “There may he sit and smile, or creep among the ships, or moan and sigh round islands in his great content—the miser lord of wealth in gems and pearls beyond the telling of all fables.”

3. (archaic, countable, uncountable)Counting, numbering.
4. (countable, uncountable)Ability to determine.

   “"One white man." said Bill, after a brief inspection. "Out on his line, I s'pose, and there's no tellin' when he'll be back. So we won't wait. We'll just serve notice on him."”