an act of narration
"he was the hero according to his own relation"
"his endless recounting of the incident eventually became unbearable"
informing by words
"The detective spent hours telling the witness exactly what had happened during the break-in."
The act of narration.
"The old man spent hours telling stories about his youth by the campfire."
In plain English: A telling is the act of giving information or news to someone.
"The telling of that story made everyone laugh."
present participle of tell
"The noise from the construction site was telling us that our neighbors were finally starting their renovation project."
In plain English: To tell is to say something out loud so that someone else knows it.
"The detective spent hours telling me the details of the crime to help clear my name."
producing a strong effect
"gave an impressive performance as Othello"
"a telling gesture"
Having force, or having a marked effect; weighty, effective.
"The president's brief speech had a telling impact on the undecided voters who were waiting for a decisive statement."
In plain English: Telling means being very good at describing something clearly so that others can easily picture it in their minds.
"It was telling that he arrived late without any explanation."
Usage: Use telling to describe an argument or remark that has a strong impact and persuades others effectively. This adjective is often confused with the verb form but specifically refers to the quality of being significant rather than merely spoken aloud.
Telling is a gerund formed by adding the suffix -ing to the verb tell. It functions as a noun representing the act of conveying information or narrating a story.