exaggerate

[ig-zaj-uh-reyt]

verb (used with object)

exaggerated, exaggerating 

1. to magnify beyond the limits of truth; overstate; represent disproportionately.

   to exaggerate the difficulties of a situation.

   Synonyms: embroider, amplify, embellish
   Antonyms: minimize

2. to increase or enlarge abnormally.

   Those shoes exaggerate the size of my feet.

   Synonyms: inflate

verb (used without object)

exaggerated, exaggerating 

1. to employ exaggeration, as in speech or writing.

   a person who is always exaggerating.

exaggerate

/ ɪɡˈzædʒəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to regard or represent as larger or greater, more important or more successful, etc, than is true

2. (tr) to make greater, more noticeable, etc, than usual

   his new clothes exaggerated his awkwardness

Other Word Forms

• exaggeratingly adverb
• exaggerator noun
• nonexaggerating adjective
• overexaggerate verb
• unexaggerating adjective
• exaggerative adjective
• exaggeration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of exaggerate¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin exaggerātus “heaped up,” past participle of exaggerāre “to heap up,” from ex- ex- ¹ + agger “heap” + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of exaggerate¹

C16: from Latin exaggerāre to magnify, from aggerāre to heap, from agger heap

Example Sentences

I get sad too, because—I’m not exaggerating, everybody who ever meets us says this—he looks exactly like me.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Many companies that scream the loudest about the bubble are either exaggerating the threat or fundamentally misunderstanding what’s actually unfolding.

Read more on MarketWatch

When there is desperation to commune with a loved one, any glimmer of responsiveness can be interpreted as lucidity, exaggerated with each recall and retelling.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The firm has denied paying clients to sue and said it has “systems in place to help weed out false or exaggerated allegations.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The suspects are accused of making subsidy claims for land that they did not own and exaggerating the number of animals on farms.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• amplify 
• distort 
• emphasize 
• fabricate 
• falsify 
• heighten 
• inflate 
• magnify 
• misrepresent 
• overdo 
• overdraw 
• overemphasize 
• overestimate