Synonym Chooser

How does the verb divulge differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of divulge are betray, disclose, reveal, and tell. While all these words mean "to make known what has been or should be concealed," divulge implies a disclosure involving some impropriety or breach of confidence.

refused to divulge an anonymous source

When might betray be a better fit than divulge?

While in some cases nearly identical to divulge, betray implies a divulging that represents a breach of faith or an involuntary or unconscious disclosure.

a blush that betrayed her embarrassment

Where would disclose be a reasonable alternative to divulge?

Although the words disclose and divulge have much in common, disclose may imply a discovering but more often an imparting of information previously kept secret.

candidates must disclose their financial assets

When is reveal a more appropriate choice than divulge?

In some situations, the words reveal and divulge are roughly equivalent. However, reveal may apply to supernatural or inspired revelation of truths beyond the range of ordinary human vision or reason.

divine will as revealed in sacred writings

In what contexts can tell take the place of divulge?

The synonyms tell and divulge are sometimes interchangeable, but tell implies an imparting of necessary or useful information.

told them what he had overheard

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of divulge The initial story in The Atlantic had only described the operational part of the message chain, but did not divulge specifics. Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2025 Schumer, 43, divulged her success with a new weight-loss medication before asking about the use of surnames within the royal family. Tracy Wright, Fox News, 24 Mar. 2025 When information is a premium and even seen as a currency of its own, AI models can be designed to delve more deeply into users divulging vast amounts of personal information. Zak Doffman, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025 As a private company, Musk is not required to divulge as much about X's business and products as Twitter needed to when it was publicly traded. Axios, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for divulge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for divulge
Verb
  • The Trump administration attempted to disclose grand jury transcripts but was later denied by a federal judge.
    Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
  • The attackers obtained the credential through a targeted phishing attack Socket had disclosed hours earlier.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 25 July 2025
Verb
  • Data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research reveals that for every additional level of education, poverty rates for single mothers declined by an average of 33%.
    Rita Raichoudhuri, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
  • Every microservice outage reveals the presence of unmanaged complexity, weak isolation mechanisms and non-existent feedback loops.
    Raju Dandigam, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • In the meantime, the Smiths hired their own analyst and discovered that all the emails had originated in the United States, not abroad.
    Caroline Blair, People.com, 27 July 2025
  • He was discovered about 9 a.m. on near mile marker 183.
    Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 26 July 2025
Verb
  • The film tells the powerful true story of a blind Native American man who helped save lives during the Oklahoma City bombing.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 26 July 2025
  • Popular jewelry designer Kendra Scott plans to marry Zac Brown, Scott told People.
    Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 26 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Divulge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/divulge. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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