sensationalize

[ sen-sey-shuh-nl-ahyz ]

/ sɛnˈseɪ ʃə nlˌaɪz /

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verb (used with object), sen·sa·tion·al·ized, sen·sa·tion·al·iz·ing.

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Also especially British, sen·sa·tion·al·ise .

Origin of sensationalize

First recorded in 1850–55; sensational + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM sensationalize

de·sen·sa·tion·al·ize, verb (used with object), de·sen·sa·tion·al·ized, de·sen·sa·tion·al·iz·ing.

Words nearby sensationalize

sensate, sensate focus, sensation, sensational, sensationalism, sensationalize, sensationism, sense, Sense and Sensibility, sense datum, senseful

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sensationalize in a sentence

While creators claim that respect is paramount, sensationalizing the death of another human for views is antithetical to the cause.
The Bizarre and Unsettling Rise of True-Crime Makeup Videos on YouTube and TikTok|Hannah Jackson|October 18, 2021|The Daily Beast
We loved the film for portraying Caldwell and Jorgeson’s story honestly and accurately, and without sensationalizing the climbing for a mainstream audience.
The Best Climbing Movies and Where to Watch Them|syadron|July 31, 2021|Outside Online
Many people recognize that the trend of stories of people succeeding on Substack and other platforms is sensationalized a bit.
How GNI Startups Boot Camp is giving journalists the tools for media entrepreneurialism|Kayleigh Barber|June 21, 2021|Digiday
Another former reporter said that it was never the goal to publish clickbait or write anything inaccurate or misleading headlines, but the types of stories that they would publish ended up feeling sensationalized within the context of their beat.
‘Best, imperfect solution’: Insider’s metrics for measuring success are good for business, but leave reporters feeling frustrated and unionized|Kayleigh Barber|April 26, 2021|Digiday

The groups who reported those estimates had to weather intense criticism for supposedly sensationalizing the outbreak.
The Hard Lessons of Modeling the Coronavirus Pandemic|Jordana Cepelewicz|January 28, 2021|Quanta Magazine
They just want to make lies and sensationalize because that sells.
Octomom Nadya Suleman Wants to Shed Her Creepy Persona|Maria Elena Fernandez|July 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for sensationalize

sensationalize

sensationalise

/ (sɛnˈseɪʃənəˌlaɪz) /

verb

(tr) to cause (events, esp in newspaper reports) to seem more vivid, shocking, etc, than they really are

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