exaggerate

verb

ex·​ag·​ger·​ate ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrāt 

exaggerated; exaggerating

transitive verb

1

: to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth : overstate

a friend exaggerates a man's virtues

—Joseph Addison

2

: to enlarge or increase especially beyond the normal : overemphasize

intransitive verb

: to make an overstatement

exaggerative

ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-tiv 

-ˈzaj-rə-tiv

-ˈza-jə-rə-tiv

adjective

exaggerator

ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-tər 

noun

exaggeratory

ig-ˈzaj-rə-ˌtȯr-ē 

-ˈza-jə-

adjective

Synonyms

• color
• elaborate (on)
• embellish
• embroider
• hyperbolize
• magnify
• pad
• stretch

Examples of exaggerate in a Sentence

The book exaggerates the difficulties he faced in starting his career.

It's impossible to exaggerate the importance of this discovery.

He tends to exaggerate when talking about his accomplishments.

He exaggerated his movements so we could see them more clearly.

Recent Examples on the Web

Even Dancing With the Stars veteran Sean Spicer wouldn’t be able to exaggerate the size of this audience. —Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2025

What is the meaning behind the end of Hereditary? While Hereditary uses the horror genre to exaggerate ideas and entertain, its foundational theme is trauma, according to Aster. —Erica Marrison, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025

Meanwhile, many large corporate bankruptcies involve simultaneous filings from hundreds of subsidiaries, which can result in the numbers being exaggerated. —Felix Salmon, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025

However, some economists caution that exaggerating or classifying trade deficits as losses or subsidies isn’t a fair representation of what has become a crucial mechanism for the US economy. —Alicia Wallace, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin exaggerātus, past participle of exaggerāre "to heap up, construct by piling up, increase in significance," from ex- ex- entry 1 + aggerāre "to heap up over, form into a heap," verbal derivative of agger "rubble, earthwork, rampart, dam," noun derivative of aggerere "to bring, carry (to or up), push close up (against)," from ag- ag- + gerere "to carry, bring" — more at jest entry 1

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

exaggerate

verb

ex·​ag·​ger·​ate ig-ˈzaj-ə-ˌrāt 

exaggerated; exaggerating

: to enlarge a fact or statement beyond what is actual or true

exaggeratedly

-ˌrāt-əd-lē

adverb

exaggeratedness

-nəs

noun

exaggeration

-ˌzaj-ə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

exaggerator

-ˈzaj-ə-ˌrāt-ər 

noun

Etymology

from Latin exaggeratus "exaggerate," from exaggerare, literally, "to heap up"