hyperbole

[hahy-pur-buh-lee]

noun

Rhetoric.

1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.

2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

   Synonyms: overstatement
   Antonyms: understatement

hyperbole

/ haɪˈpɜːbəlɪ /

noun

1. a deliberate exaggeration used for effect

   he embraced her a thousand times

hyperbole

1. An exaggerated, extravagant expression. It is hyperbole to say, “I'd give my whole fortune for a bowl of bean soup.”

Other Word Forms

• hyperbolism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyperbole¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Greek hyperbolḗ “excess, exaggeration, a throwing beyond,” equivalent to hyper- hyper- + bolḗ “a throw”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyperbole¹

C16: from Greek: from _hyper- + bolē a throw, from ballein to throw

Example Sentences

“Millions is hyperbole,” his sister warned, though she too was getting hungry.

Read more on Literature

It verged on hyperbole—that is to say, wild exaggeration—to call him a “noted expert,” as he was really just a simple country veterinarian.

Read more on Literature

Some veer into hyperbole, as when he describes “The American Revolution” as the most important event in world history after the birth of Christ.

Read more on Salon

The primary contribution of Mr. Crais’s book to a rapidly growing literature is its hyperbole—we still lack a book that draws together a comprehensive picture of a world remade by guns.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I don’t think it’s hyperbole, especially for a Bravo fan, to say that,” Cohen said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hype 
• metaphor 
• overstatement www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

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.