sensationalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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sensationalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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sensationalized,
past participle, past
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sensationalizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sensationalizesimple
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sensationalizessimple
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have sensationalizedperfect
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has sensationalizedperfect
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am sensationalizingprogressive
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are sensationalizingprogressive
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is sensationalizingprogressive
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have been sensationalizingperfect progressive
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has been sensationalizingperfect progressive
Past
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sensationalizedsimple
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had sensationalizedperfect
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was sensationalizingprogressive
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were sensationalizingprogressive
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had been sensationalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sensationalize
First recorded in 1850–55; sensational + -ize
Explanation
To sensationalize is to exaggerate a story to make it more thrilling or alarming. Newspapers sometimes sensationalize a headline in order to sell more papers. TV, online news sources, and other media use this tactic all the time, sensationalizing the details of a news story, the headline describing it, or the images that accompany it. Watching the news can make you think that your city is becoming more dangerous, but it's not always true — often, the media has sensationalized a few crimes and made it seem that way. Sensationalize shares a Latin root with sensation that means "feeling."
Vocabulary lists containing sensationalize
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Calling the result “rogue AI” does more than sensationalize it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Oftentimes, people—especially young scientists—want to call old discoveries by new names to sensationalize them,” she says.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2024
There is an almost abstract quality to the sound that is supposedly “in camera,” but part of the point of that is to not sensationalize the use of sound when possible.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2024
“Demolition also removes efforts to further sensationalize the crime scene.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 28, 2023
They tend to sensationalize — to appeal to the voyeuristic tendencies people have.
From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Max Millard
Elsewhere the artist turns her eye to the media, which sensationalizes tragedy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
“In a world where the true-crime genre often sensationalizes tragedy, Anna’s work in ‘Woman of the Hour’ stands out as a beacon of compassion and leadership,” Williams said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2024
“This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked,” Cheung said.
From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2024
Lamar's line sensationalizes allegations leveled at Drake; but it also fails to properly acknowledge that even despite two convictions, Weinstein's power, wealth and iron fist has still granted him an overturned conviction in New York.
From Salon ● May 10, 2024
To ensure that no one embellishes or sensationalizes their stories, I’m going to ask them to sign an honor code.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
The author explores both the mountain wilderness in which the hikers died and the media wilderness in which their deaths would be sensationalized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Despite developing the machine with scientists, Ernetti’s claims of what he saw — including Christ’s crucifixion — quickly became sensationalized fodder, with some believing in Ernetti’s discovery and others dismissing it as a hoax.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
However, some analysts believe Claude Cowork is the latest sensationalized headline feeding into an overly pessimistic narrative of AI eating software.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 15, 2026
Even crime in Orange County has been sensationalized and glamorized, with themes veneered by opulence, secrecy and illusions of suburban perfection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
Harris and Watkins wrote letters to editors complaining they’d been quoted out of context, their story sensationalized to “distort, misrepresent and terrify.”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
“People watch the headlines too much — the sensationalizing of it all. I bet people think the market’s down much more than 5%,” said Steve Azoury, owner of Azoury Financial in Troy, Mich.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 21, 2026
When Salon spoke with microbiologist Luis Andrés Yarzábal, an associate professor at the Universidad Católica de Cuenca in Ecuador, he was indeed careful to avoid sensationalizing the problem.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2025
Jordan has found a successful niche by sensationalizing crime and chaos in one of the world’s most populated and frequently visited cities.
From Slate ● Mar. 14, 2025
Hawes utilizes that iconography without exploiting or sensationalizing the material; the film is emotionally restrained in a way that is almost frustrating at times but ultimately reflects the character of Winton’s quiet, self-effacing personality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
An increasing number of Harlem leaders declared that the principal reason for this was the downtown white press media, sensationalizing what was going on in a calm, dignified community.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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