tattletale

[ tat-l-teyl ]

noun

1. a talebearer or informer, especially among children.

adjective

1. telltale; revealing:

   a tattletale smear of lipstick on his collar.

tattletale

/ ˈtætəlˌteɪl /

noun

1. a scandalmonger or gossip
2. another word for telltale

Word History and Origins

Origin of tattletale¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; tattle + tale

Example Sentences

On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Adam Serwer, the award-winning political essayist at The Atlantic, about how he explored the phenomenon in his recent article “The Rise of the Right Wing Tattletale.”

From Slate

All media; corporate media, social media, local media, national media, state media, non-profit, for-profit and the tattletale kid down the street.

From Salon

“She used to go to school with our parents and Mr. Porter. I heard she was a tattletale back then. These days there aren’t many Remarkables who aren’t afraid of her.”

From Literature

His business empire was built on shady schemes, such as Trump University and the Trump charity, and aggressively defended by an army of morally malleable lawyers who did his dirty work and ran interference when angry creditors, abused women, tattletale mistresses and government investigators came after him.

From Seattle Times

“You once said that using the debt ceiling as a negotiating wedge just could not happen,” she harped like a little tattletale.

From Washington Times