exaggerate

verb

ex·​ag·​ger·​ate ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrāt 

exaggerated; exaggerating

transitive verb

1

: to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth : overstate

A friend exaggerates a man's virtues …

—Joseph Addison

2

: to enlarge or increase especially beyond the normal : overemphasize

intransitive verb

: to make an overstatement

exaggerative

ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-tiv 

-ˈzaj-rə-tiv, 

-ˈza-jə-rə-tiv

adjective

exaggerator

ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-tər 

noun

exaggeratory

ig-ˈzaj-rə-ˌtȯr-ē 

-ˈza-jə-

adjective

Synonyms of exaggerate

• enhance
• pad
• hyperbolize
• color
• embellish
• expand
• magnify
• embroider
• stretch
• elaborate (on)
• emphasize

Examples of exaggerate in a Sentence

The book exaggerates the difficulties he faced in starting his career.

It's impossible to exaggerate the importance of this discovery.

He tends to exaggerate when talking about his accomplishments.

He exaggerated his movements so we could see them more clearly.

Recent Examples on the Web

Many of the studies exaggerate the amount in human organs, the European officials concluded. —Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

The discrepancy was spotted by Reuters, which claims that data Tesla gave to authorities in Sweden and the Netherlands grossly exaggerated the safety record of FSD in the United States. —Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 17 June 2026

Tristan Baker, head of performance at Go Perform, an athletics performance and coaching facility, and a former strength and conditioning coach at Reading, believes a still photograph exaggerates how unstable the movement appears. —Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 17 June 2026

This can exaggerate shadows and make compact spaces feel even more enclosed. —Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 14 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin exaggerātus, past participle of exaggerāre "to heap up, construct by piling up, increase in significance," from ex- ex- entry 1 + aggerāre "to heap up over, form into a heap," verbal derivative of agger "rubble, earthwork, rampart, dam," noun derivative of aggerere "to bring, carry (to or up), push close up (against)," from ag- ag- + gerere "to carry, bring" — more at jest entry 1

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for exaggerate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

exaggerate

verb

ex·​ag·​ger·​ate ig-ˈzaj-ə-ˌrāt 

exaggerated; exaggerating

: to enlarge a fact or statement beyond what is actual or true

exaggeratedly

-ˌrāt-əd-lē

adverb

exaggeratedness

-nəs

noun

exaggeration

-ˌzaj-ə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

exaggerator

-ˈzaj-ə-ˌrāt-ər 

noun

Etymology

from Latin exaggeratus "exaggerate," from exaggerare, literally, "to heap up"