exaggerated

adjective

ex·​ag·​ger·​at·​ed ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-təd 

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

Synonyms of exaggerated

• inflated

Examples of exaggerated in a Sentence

loves the exaggerated emotions that are part and parcel of grand opera

Recent Examples on the Web

There were new rules announced pre-tournament to minimise timewasting via exaggerated injuries or via substitutions. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 5 July 2026

In the clip, the robot performs exaggerated, erratic movements, raising its arms into a martial arts-style fighting stance before lunging toward people around it. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026

Her custom ceremony Galia Lahav dress was designed with intricate lace details and an exaggerated silhouette at the hips. — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026

White minstrel musicians would either commercialize Black culture (a pattern that persists in popular music) or else perform exaggerated stereotypes of it. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of exaggerate

First Known Use

circa 1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for exaggerated

• abbreviated
• accelerated
• accentuated
• accommodated
• acculturated
• accumulated
• acidulated
• adjudicated
• administrated
• adulterated
• affiliated
• agglomerated