What does tattling mean?
Tattling is the act of telling other people about private, trivial, or confidential matters, usually to stir gossip rather than to solve a problem. It is typically an accusation: a speaker may call someone “a tattling busybody” to suggest that the person has betrayed confidence. The word can also describe habitual gossipy talk, especially talk about minor matters. In modern use, tattling usually implies disloyalty or an unnecessary breach of confidence, although it can describe merely idle chatter when the context makes that clearer. The related verb tattle and noun tattler are older and somewhat more flexible in tone, while tattling itself carries a sharper, derogatory edge. The word is familiar in everyday British and American English and appears in descriptions of conduct at school, work, and home. Tattling is useful because it names a specific social behavior that is more than ordinary conversation: the deliberate or careless circulation of information that was expected to remain private.
To reveal secrets, private information, or trivial details, especially as gossip.
"Stop tattling about your sister to everyone you meet."
The present participle of tattle. It is usually informal and disapproving, implying a breach of confidence or the spreading of gossip.
Inclined to gossip or to reveal information about other people.
"His tattling ways made everyone afraid to confide in him."
Usually derogatory and commonly used attributively before a noun or in a predicate.
Tattling is older than the cliché: its roots reach back to Old English words for talk and chatter.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tattling come from?
Tattling is the present participle of tattle, a word attested in Middle English and derived from Old English tǣtan, meaning “to talk” or “to chatter.” The Germanic root also appears in cognates such as Dutch tateren and German tatern, associated with chatter or babbling. In modern English, the meaning has become especially associated with gossip and the disclosure of secrets.
How tattling is actually used
Informal and usually disapproving. It commonly implies gossip, disloyalty, or an unnecessary breach of confidence; when describing habitual chatter, it retains a derogatory edge.
Easily confused with tattling
A tattler is a person who passes on gossip, whereas tattling names the act of doing so.