exaggerate

1 of 2

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

exaggerator

2 of 2

noun

ex·​ag·​ger·​a·​tor -ˌrātə(r) 

-ātə-

plural -s

: one that exaggerates

Synonyms of exaggerate

Verb

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

Examples of exaggerate in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

The president designated the gang as a terrorist group and said Maduro had sent it to invade the United States, although some law enforcement officials say the administration exaggerated the threat to justify mass deportations. — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026

The best place to start is a sporting culture that exaggerates accomplishments and rewards capitalistic success before the sporting variety. — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

One sure focus is the rampant grade inflation that exaggerates student achievement and has made graduating high school close to meaningless as an indicator of college preparedness. — U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2026

Jan Paul van Hecke of the Netherlands has been involved in two scraps already, the latest when he was hit while going for a header and crumbled, perhaps exaggerating a tad, after Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi challenged the header, as well. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Verb

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

Verb

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