revealing

adjective

re·​veal·​ing ri-ˈvē-liŋ How to pronounce revealing (audio)
Synonyms of revealingnext
: allowing a look at or an understanding of something inner or hidden
a revealing confession
also : tending to expose more typically hidden parts of the body
a revealing top
revealingly adverb

Synonyms of revealing

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of revealing in a Sentence

The book is a revealing account of being part of a gang. Her comments about her childhood were revealing. She wore a very revealing shirt. That skirt is much too revealing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Someone close to you could be unpredictable with their actions, but their unfiltered honesty might be more revealing than the disruption itself, Sagittarius. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 The one thing private equity cannot easily buy TMI sits in a revealing gap. — Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Plus, the babydoll top is so flattering on my curvy shape, while the bottoms are a tiny bit cheeky without being too revealing. — Olivia Dubyak, InStyle, 6 Aug. 2026 While most leaders track how many employees use AI, the more revealing question is how many are building with it. — Will Drover, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for revealing

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of revealing was circa 1925

Phrases Containing revealing

Rhymes for revealing

See All Rhymes for revealing

Browse Nearby Words

revealer
revealing
revealingly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Revealing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revealing. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on revealing

Nglish: Translation of revealing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All