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.

The first records of the term hyperbole come from around 1520. It comes from the Greek hyperbolḗ, meaning “excess” or “exaggeration.” Hyperbole has been used for centuries in English, and even William Shakespeare used it in his works.

Hyperbole is a particularly common figure of speech, which even children often engage in. A very happy teenager may describe a birthday as the greatest day of all time or a painfully bored child might complain that the family has been driving for weeks.

A figure of speech is a nonliteral use of language intended to be expressive and create a special effect with our words. We use hyperbole to exaggerate, litotes to understate, and  similes and metaphors to compare seemingly unlike things to show a way they are alike. Other figures of speech include personification, alliteration, and oxymorons. Hyperbole and other figures of speech can make our writing and speeches more interesting and engaging.

Hyperboles are also common in advertising. Because they can’t actually lie about what their product does, many ads will instead humorously exaggerate how good or effective the product is. For example, in an ad a sports drink might give a person superhuman speed or an electric razor might transform an average man into an attractive male celebrity.

Here are some examples of hyperbole used in children’s movies:

People use hyperboles every day.

Masters of Comedy Present: Comedy Super Pros

Comedy is back with Zero Hyperbole pic.twitter.com/DggSzJl3zf

— Cameron Wyllie (@cameronwyllie) August 3, 2021

Someone recently told me I often speak in hyperboles but that’s literally the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.

— Tracy J Meunier (@1biteatatimeTJ) August 28, 2020

• figure of speech
• exaggeration
• overstatement
• excess
• litotes

Is the following sentence an example of a hyperbole?

I am so good at football that they should name the entire sport after me.