exaggerated

adjective

ex·​ag·​ger·​at·​ed ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-təd 

1

: excessively or inappropriately heightened, inflated, or overstated

exaggerated fears

a wildly exaggerated story

As students go from one disconnected course to the next, they tend to form a highly exaggerated idea of the differences between teachers and subjects.

—Gerald Graff

2

: enlarged or increased beyond the normal : greater than normal

… many people have an unusual or exaggerated response to a drug, but they are not necessarily allergic to the drug.

—Paul D. Buisseret

exaggeratedly adverb

… my own view of the art of architecture—a view that many people (including many architects) would perhaps consider an exaggeratedly lofty one.

—Brendan Gill

Koenig's movements were brisk, exaggeratedly optimistic.

—Nick Paumgarten

exaggeratedness noun

… we often do not respond to exaggeration by simply pointing out its exaggeratedness …

—Julie Kuhlken

Synonyms

• bloated
• hyperbolized
• inflated
• outsize
• outsized
• overblown
• overdrawn
• overweening

Examples of exaggerated in a Sentence

loves the exaggerated emotions that are part and parcel of grand opera

Recent Examples on the Web

But our eyes couldn’t help but wander to her black cropped, raw-hem jeans with an exaggerated wide-legged silhouette. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Sep. 2024

Participants also reported a sense of familiarity within these strange realms, as though the new worlds echoed elements of our earthly reality but in a distorted or exaggerated way. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024

Her dark charcoal smoky eye and exaggerated winged liner rounded out the Rep feel of the look. —Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2024

Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… MEDIA ‘FAKE AND WEAK’ – Harris mocked for exaggerated facial expressions as Trump spoke at debate. —Fox News, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of exaggerate

First Known Use

circa 1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1