exaggerated

adjective

ex·​ag·​ger·​at·​ed ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-təd How to pronounce exaggerated (audio)
1
: excessively or inappropriately heightened, inflated, or overstated
exaggerated fears
a wildly exaggerated story
As students go from one disconnected course to the next, they tend to form a highly exaggerated idea of the differences between teachers and subjects.Gerald Graff
2
: enlarged or increased beyond the normal : greater than normal
… many people have an unusual or exaggerated response to a drug, but they are not necessarily allergic to the drug.Paul D. Buisseret
exaggeratedly adverb
… my own view of the art of architecture—a view that many people (including many architects) would perhaps consider an exaggeratedly lofty one. Brendan Gill
Koenig's movements were brisk, exaggeratedly optimistic. Nick Paumgarten
exaggeratedness noun
… we often do not respond to exaggeration by simply pointing out its exaggeratedness Julie Kuhlken

Examples of exaggerated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Turn to Gucci for a head-turning logo moment, Alaïa for an exaggerated handle, or stay stealth with The Row’s soft suede style. Madeline Fass, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 Blue 1, red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6 cause hypersensitivity reactions – an exaggerated immune response to allergens – and rodent studies of yellow 5 were positive for genotoxicity, which cause cell mutations that could lead to cancer, according to NIH. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 Using Elsa’s passion for space as a jumping-off point, Roseberry created a collection for Spring Summer 2024 that’s rooted in juxtapositions, offering designs that often put an emphasis on exaggerated shoulder details. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024 Yet after the report came out, Pollack and other economists disagreed with the exaggerated conclusions of activist groups using the study to attack the 2010 law. The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 Lustily sneering her dialogue in an exaggerated accent, Winslet throws her all into the character, but to what end? Brian Lowry, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 David plays an exaggerated version of himself as a cranky, semi-retired television writer and producer with a total disregard for social conventions. Kelly Martinez, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2024 Yet the demise of AI detectors is greatly exaggerated. IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2024 Chabria: To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of our death are greatly exaggerated — again. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exaggerated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of exaggerate

First Known Use

circa 1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of exaggerated was circa 1632

Dictionary Entries Near exaggerated

Cite this Entry

“Exaggerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exaggerated. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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