EXAGGERATES Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

exaggerates

verb

present tense third-person singular of exaggerate

as in enhances

to add to the interest of by including made-up details the American colonist John Smith is believed by many historians to have exaggerated his adventures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in overstates

to describe or express in too strong terms it would be impossible to exaggerate the importance of this entrance exam

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of exaggerates Armour points to two recent plays, one involving Chelsea Gray and another involving Kiah Stokes, as proof that Clark exaggerates contact and creates false narratives about opposing players. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 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 Drama hides a hero’s flaws; comedy exaggerates it. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 25 June 2026 Tristan Baker, head of performance at Go Perform, an athletics performance and coaching facility, and a former strength and conditioning coach at Reading, believes a still photograph exaggerates how unstable the movement appears. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 17 June 2026 Perry has recently favored footwear that exaggerates a familiar evening shape. — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 13 June 2026 The case drew widespread attention because Dee Dee was suspected of having Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a form of abuse in which a caregiver exaggerates, fabricates or induces illness in someone under their care. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026 Dehydration exaggerates creases and makes skin look less supple. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exaggerates

Verb

Establishing and nurturing a robust professional relationship map—comprising sponsors, mentors, allies and followers—enhances professional impact and reputation, both critical to accessing new opportunities.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Packed with potent ingredients like isopropyl cloprostenate, amino acids, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E, this formula nurtures and enhances your brows from the root.

— Iman Balagam, Vogue, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of enhances

Verb

Apply the blended figure to a queue that no longer contains any simple work, and the model overstates savings before the deployment has processed a single contact.

— Antony P Gregory, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
And the wide gap between affluent boomers versus the rest of their peers means the average $515,000 per-household amount overstates what most millennials and Gen Xers will actually receive.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of overstates

Verb

Dyes such as indigo, for example, which colors your favorite blue jeans, are actually intended to fade and will do so throughout the life of the garment.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 30 Aug. 2026
That history still colors how the company talks, less like a supplement label and more like a couple of people who have been through it.

— Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 17 July 2026

Definition of colors

Verb

Her direction here wisely emphasizes the actors, and possibly overdoes it with the mirrors — lotta symbolically reflective surfaces and isolating frames within frames — but there’s never the sensation that the person behind the camera is winging it.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2026
Alexander’s staging occasionally overdoes the comic exuberance.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026

Definition of overdoes

Verb

Its value becomes visible when delivery accelerates and engineering capacity expands without weakening architecture, quality standards or ownership.

— Boris Kontsevoi, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
All of those companies have been massive winners for investors this year, with HPE and AMD more than doubling in value and Intel almost tripling, as the artificial infrastructure buildout expands to companies beyond Nvidia.

— Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of expands

Verb

The material also embellishes the interior, where the center armrest, speaker covers, window buttons, and gear shift are among the areas of application.

— Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 30 June 2026
It’s also been cited as what’s wrong with basketball, as he’s been labeled a player who embellishes contact, resulting in opportunities at the free-throw line.

— Jason Jones, New York Times, 24 May 2026

Definition of embellishes

Verb

Although the first topological ideas only emerged in the 18th century, the history of the Platonic solids stretches back much further.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026
As Sean McVay enters his 10th season, his coaching tree stretches across the NFL, with former Rams assistants now leading the Packers, Bengals, Vikings, Jaguars and Cardinals as head coaches.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of stretches

Browse Nearby Words

exaggerated

exaggerates

exaggerating

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Exaggerates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exaggerates. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of exaggerates

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

stigma

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes