exaggerate

[ig-zaj-uh-reyt]

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verb (used with object), ex·ag·ger·at·ed, ex·ag·ger·at·ing.

to magnify beyond the limits of truth; overstate; represent disproportionately: to exaggerate the difficulties of a situation.

to increase or enlarge abnormally: Those shoes exaggerate the size of my feet.

verb (used without object), ex·ag·ger·at·ed, ex·ag·ger·at·ing.

to employ exaggeration, as in speech or writing: a person who is always exaggerating.

Origin of exaggerate

1525–35; < Latin exaggerātus (past participle of exaggerāre heap up), equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + agger heap + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsex·ag·ger·at·ing·ly, adverbex·ag·ger·a·tor, nounnon·ex·ag·ger·at·ing, adjectiveo·ver·ex·ag·ger·ate, verb, o·ver·ex·ag·ger·at·ed, o·ver·ex·ag·ger·at·ing.un·ex·ag·ger·at·ing, adjective

Synonyms for exaggerate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exaggerate ON THESAURUS.COM

1. embellish, amplify, embroider. 2. inflate.

Antonyms for exaggerate

1. minimize.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for exaggerate

overdo, magnify, fabricate, distort, emphasize, inflate, misrepresent, heighten, falsify, amplify, overdraw, overestimate, overemphasize, pyramid, scam, color, corrupt, fudge, lie, caricature

Examples from the Web for exaggerate

Contemporary Examples of exaggerate

It should be noted that the Anti-Coup movement has been known to exaggerate facts and numbers.
This Cairo College Campus Is Now a 'Warzone'
Jonathan Krohn
February 18, 2014
Not to exaggerate, but it was the sexiest thing that has ever been on television.
Beyonce Gave the Best Grammy Awards Performance (And 8 More That Were Pretty Good, Too)
Kevin Fallon
January 27, 2014
But things inspire you based on your personal experience, and then you exaggerate or incorporate other stories from friends.
Heather Graham on ‘The Hangover Part III,’ Roles for Women, and More
Marlow Stern
May 24, 2013
Hårdh is careful not to exaggerate expectations, calling the new device a complement, not a cure.
Can This Bracelet Save Your Life?
Nina Strochlic
April 15, 2013
Fame is known to exaggerate a character, and Oprah uses two examples: the humanitarian and the jerk.
Oprah Winfrey’s Best Lance Armstrong Interview Moments (Video)
Nina Strochlic
January 18, 2013

Historical Examples of exaggerate

His pessimism about his play caused him to exaggerate the enormity of his offences.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
For to exaggerate with judgment one must begin by measuring with nicety.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
I do not exaggerate when I say that from end to end could not be discerned a single weed.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards
All the exaggerations are right, if they exaggerate the right thing.
Alarms and Discursions
G. K. Chesterton
I will not be so superfluous as to exaggerate the difficulty.
Old-Fashioned Ethics and Common-Sense Metaphysics
William Thomas Thornton

British Dictionary definitions for exaggerate

exaggerate

verb

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

(tr) to make greater, more noticeable, etc, than usualhis new clothes exaggerated his awkwardness

Derived Formsexaggeratingly, adverbexaggeration, nounexaggerative or exaggeratory, adjectiveexaggerator, noun

Word Origin for exaggerate

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for exaggerate

1530s, "to pile up, accumulate," from Latin exaggeratus, past participle of exaggerare "heighten, amplify, magnify," literally "to heap, pile, load, fill," from ex- "thoroughly" (see ex-) + aggerare "heap up," from agger (genitive aggeris) "heap," from aggerere "bring together, carry toward," from ad- "to, toward" + gerere "carry" (see gest). Sense of "overstate" first recorded in English 1560s. Related: Exaggerated; exaggerating.