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

Misleading claims or exaggerated job benefits could backfire and lead to reputational damage. —Anthony Milewski, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Each thing serves as the cartoonishly exaggerated marker of an identity: berserker populist patriot, effete rich man, savvy dealmaker. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025

Removing their dark veils, the two expose their grotesque faces, their exaggerated makeup cracked, peeling and flaking off in chunks. —Dave Quinn, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025

The theme that supports self-expression through velvet indigo, tapestry textures, digital prints, jacquards, exaggerated layering and fabrics with lasered logos, symbols and other forms of artwork. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of exaggerate

First Known Use

circa 1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for exaggerated

• abbreviated
• accelerated
• accentuated
• accommodated
• acculturated
• accumulated
• acidulated
• adjudicated
• administrated
• adulterated
• affiliated
• agglomerated