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

• bloated
• hyperbolized
• inflated
• outsize
• outsized
• overblown
• overdrawn
• overweening

Examples of exaggerated in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Funny and sad, exaggerated and honest, Youssef and Brady’s series offers escape and catharsis, all at the same time. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2025

Melodrama gets a bad rap for being too exaggerated, and over-the-top but outrageous circumstances beget heightened emotions. —Barry Levitt, Time, 9 Apr. 2025

Worse, even exaggerated calculations — lower cost of college, total income instead of incremental — with the new College Scorecard data yield surprising results for CEW. —Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Addressing concerns about President Trump's past rhetoric regarding NATO, Rubio stressed that the US is as active in NATO as ever and that such concerns are exaggerated. —Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025

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