sensationalize

American  

[sen-sey-shuh-nl-ahyz] / sɛnˈseɪ ʃə nlˌaɪz /

especially British, sensationalise

verb (used with object)

sensationalized, sensationalizing

1. to make sensational.

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sensationalize British  

/ sɛnˈseɪʃənəˌlaɪz /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

• desensationalize verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of sensationalize

First recorded in 1850–55; sensational + -ize

Example Sentences

He said he found the recent concern around the safety at Burbank airport “a little bit sensationalized.”

From Los Angeles Times

Because the investigation has been sensationalized in the press, the objective of the interviews is to present a fair and fully dimensional picture of the Sharaf family.

From The Wall Street Journal

The wrong ones show up, too, as a disastrously sensationalized television venture showed.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, some analysts believe Claude Cowork is the latest sensationalized headline feeding into an overly pessimistic narrative of AI eating software.

From MarketWatch

One of its first targets accused it of “sensationalizing public information to manipulate the stock market to enrich themselves and their investors.”

From The Wall Street Journal