sensationalize

verb

sen·​sa·​tion·​al·​ize sen-ˈsā-sh(ə-)nə-ˌlīz How to pronounce sensationalize (audio)
sensationalized; sensationalizing

transitive verb

: to present in a sensational manner

Examples of sensationalize in a Sentence

Journalists should report the news accurately without trying to sensationalize it.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Notoriety trailed Woodhull through her life, but, rather than sensationalizing her scandals, Collinsworth highlights Woodhull’s flair for reinvention, and her drive to set the terms by which she would be remembered. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025 Watkins later retracted her statements after she was sensationalized by the media. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 6 Oct. 2025 However, there are and always will be those who choose to believe the tabloids’ sensationalized version of events. Sam Reed, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025 The king of Haiti’s tragic death is one of the most dramatized, and sensationalized, episodes in Haitian history. Marlene L. Daut september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sensationalize

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sensationalize was in 1863

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Cite this Entry

“Sensationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sensationalize. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

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