exaggerate
[ ig-zaj-uh-reyt ]
/ ɪgˈzædʒ əˌreɪt /
Save This Word!
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.
OTHER WORDS FOR exaggerate
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of exaggerate
OTHER WORDS FROM exaggerate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use exaggerate in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for exaggerate
exaggerate
/ (ɪɡˈzædʒəˌreɪt) /
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 forms of exaggerate
exaggeratingly, adverbexaggeration, nounexaggerative or exaggeratory, adjectiveexaggerator, nounWord 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