exaggerate

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verb ex·ag·ger·ate \ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrāt\

Definition of exaggerate

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

exaggeratedly

adverb

exaggeratedness

noun

exaggeration

play \ig-ˌza-jə-ˈrā-shən\ noun

exaggerative

play \ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-tiv, -ˈzaj-rə-tiv, -ˈza-jə-rə-tiv\ adjective

exaggerator

play \ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-tər\ noun

exaggeratory

play \ig-ˈzaj-rə-ˌtȯr-ē, -ˈza-jə-\ adjective

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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 of exaggerate from the Web

That claim may be vastly exaggerated, Schneiderman said in his filing in state court in New York.

— erik larson, star-telegram, "N.Y. says Exxon’s climate change proxy costs may be a ‘sham’", 2 June 2017
Watanabe, sales manager at Los Angeles' International Marine Products on a dodgy block at East Seventh and South San Pedro, is not exaggerating.

— michael o'connell, The Hollywood Reporter, "Where L.A.'s Top Sushi Chefs Source That $250 Omakase", 2 June 2017
Those are strong words coming from Ogden, who has never been known to exaggerate.

— mike preston, baltimoresun.com, "Preston: Ronnie Stanley-Jonathan Ogden relationship could benefit Ravens", 1 June 2017
Trump's aides often exaggerate on his behalf - such as when Spicer insisted in January that the president's inauguration crowd was the largest ever - but Tuesday's monologue seemed to venture into new territory for even the Trump administration.

— jenna johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Aides gush over Trump's 'historic' trip, rivaling their boss when it comes to praising him", 30 May 2017
Senior officials routinely exaggerate the national security repercussions and brush aside the benefits to our society.

— peter maass, The Intercept, "Donald Trump’s War on Journalism Has Begun. But Journalists Are Not His Main Target.", 28 May 2017
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, asked about the matter at the G-7 gathering in Italy on Friday, confirmed the gist of Trump’s comments but indicated they’d been exaggerated due to a translation error.

— dalia fahmy, Bloomberg.com, "BMW, Mercedes Become Latest Carmakers Caught in Trump Crossfire", 26 May 2017
G.K. Chesterton defines a saint as one that exaggerates what the world neglects, and what is neglected today is the art of paying attention.

— david roper, idahostatesman, "Life is worth living to give to others", 26 May 2017
The Ig Nobels also knocked the mainstream media for exaggerating research findings.

— mark baard, WIRED, "Honors for Nude Lit, Fish Farts", 2 Oct. 2004

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exaggerate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of exaggerate

Latin exaggeratus, past participle of exaggerare, literally, to heap up, from ex- + agger heap, from aggerere to carry toward, from ad- + gerere to carry

First Known Use: 1613