exaggeratory

adjective

ex·​ag·​ger·​a·​to·​ry ig-ˈzaj-rə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce exaggeratory (audio)
-ˈza-jə-
eg-
: involving or characterized by overstatement or exaggeration
'Dear princess,' said Rasselas, 'you fall into the common errours of exaggeratory declamation, by producing, in a familiar disquisition, examples of national calamities, and scenes of extensive misery, which are found in books rather than in the world, and which, as they are horrid, are ordained to be rare.'Samuel Johnson, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, 1831

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exaggeratory was in 1759

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Cite this Entry

“Exaggeratory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exaggeratory. Accessed 23 Dec. 2025.

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