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hyperbole

[ hahy-pur-buh-lee ]
/ haɪˈpɜr bə li /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR hyperbole ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Rhetoric.

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

Content related to hyperbole

Weasel Words And Other Ways We Avoid Telling The TruthMost of us know what the word lying means, but what happens when someone carefully skirts the truth instead of telling a bold-faced whopper? Politicians, in particular, are well known for making use of equivocal language as a way of hiding their true actions.
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Hyperbole vs. HypeAre you excited? We are. Hyperbole is a literary device that relies on exaggeration, while hype is a word associated with excitement and publicity. Hyperbole Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration. It’s not meant to be taken literally. Writers use hyperbole to create imagery, emphasize feelings, or provide insight about a character. Hyperbole appears in novels, songs, poems, and daily speech. The song “1,000 Miles” by Vanessa …
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Words related to hyperbole

hype, metaphor, overstatement, embellishment, coloring, distortion, enlargement, magnification, amplification, PR

Words nearby hyperbole

hyperbarism, hyperbaton, hyperbetalipoproteinemia, hyperbilirubinemia, hyperbola, hyperbole, hyperbolic, hyperbolic function, hyperbolic geometry, hyperbolic paraboloid, hyperbolism
Compare litotes.

Origin of hyperbole

1520–30; < Greek hyperbolḗ excess, exaggeration, throwing beyond, equivalent to hyper- hyper- + bolḗ throw
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hyperbole

British Dictionary definitions for hyperbole

hyperbole
/ (haɪˈpɜːbəlɪ) /

noun

a deliberate exaggeration used for effecthe embraced her a thousand times

Derived forms of hyperbole

hyperbolism, noun

Word Origin for hyperbole

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

Cultural definitions for hyperbole

hyperbole
[ (heye-pur-buh-lee) ]

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.