hyperbole
Americannoun
-
obvious and intentional exaggeration.
-
an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”
- Synonyms:
- overstatement
- Antonyms:
- understatement
noun
Usage
What is hyperbole? Hyperbole is an intentional, obvious exaggeration, such as I hit that dang piñata a million times before it broke.Hyperbole is not supposed to be taken literally. The reader or listener is supposed to know that the user of hyperbole is joking or not being serious, as in It took them forever to finally finish raking the leaves.The adjective form of hyperbole is hyperbolic, as in My grandfather often told me hyperbolic stories of walking 30 miles to go to school. The opposite of hyperbole is litotes, an intentional understatement, as in Leonardo da Vinci was not bad at painting.
Other Word Forms
- hyperbolism noun
Etymology
Origin of hyperbole
First recorded in 1520–30; from Greek hyperbolḗ “excess, exaggeration, a throwing beyond,” equivalent to hyper- hyper- + bolḗ “a throw”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Adams later called his comments “hyperbole,” but they were not the first instance of the comic writer courting controversy.
From Salon
He later defended his comments and said that he had been using hyperbole to make a point, adding that he disavowed racists and that media reports had ignored the context of his comments.
From BBC
Adams discussed his own cancellation after the fact, saying a few days later on his livestream that he had been using hyperbole, “meaning an exaggeration,” to make a point.
From Los Angeles Times
And yet it is precisely a lack of hyperbole or hysteria—a quieting control, one might say—that makes it so moving.
There are signs that the public is tiring of his hyperbole and insatiable desire for retribution.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
