tell against

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tell against

verb tells against · telling against · told against

idiomatic, transitive To function as a liability (for someone); to put into a condition of disadvantage. [S]ome people . . . have been so short-sighted and reckless as to clamor for an easy dissolution of the marriage-contract. . . . Is it possible that they do not see that this is a liberty which, once granted, would always tell against the weaker sex?
Similar: disadvantage, weigh against
idiomatic, transitive To serve as evidence which casts doubt upon. She knew he was disposed to catch at anything that seemed to tell against Godwin's claims.
Similar: discredit, weigh against

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MLA

"tell against." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tell%20against. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

tell against. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tell%20against

Chicago

"tell against." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tell%20against.

BibTeX

@misc{tell_against_2026,
  title = {tell against},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tell%20against},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}