1
as in padding
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overstating
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
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Recent Examples of exaggerating
In the series, Gacy enjoyed talking about many of his accomplishments and exaggerating some of his stories.
—
Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Blumenthal apologized for exaggerating his military record in 2010 after an investigation by the New York Times.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Local and state officials said the federal government is exaggerating facts on the ground.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Giménez was exaggerating, but not by much.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Over half, or 51 percent, admitted to exaggerating their financial success, with Gen Z (54 percent) leading the way compared to millennials (48 percent).
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Michael Trimble, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, said the mayor’s staff is exaggerating any problems with the parking districts and not telling the whole story.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
Blaney isn’t exaggerating — IndyCars are expected to lap Phoenix nearly six seconds faster than their stock-car cousins.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Founded in 2022, Figure aims to build general-purpose humanoid robots, though Fortune’s Jason del Rey questioned whether the company was exaggerating the extent to which its robots were being deployed with BMW.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Blumenthal apologized for exaggerating his military record in 2010 after an investigation by the New York Times.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Local and state officials said the federal government is exaggerating facts on the ground.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Giménez was exaggerating, but not by much.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Over half, or 51 percent, admitted to exaggerating their financial success, with Gen Z (54 percent) leading the way compared to millennials (48 percent).
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Michael Trimble, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, said the mayor’s staff is exaggerating any problems with the parking districts and not telling the whole story.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
Blaney isn’t exaggerating — IndyCars are expected to lap Phoenix nearly six seconds faster than their stock-car cousins.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Founded in 2022, Figure aims to build general-purpose humanoid robots, though Fortune’s Jason del Rey questioned whether the company was exaggerating the extent to which its robots were being deployed with BMW.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exaggerating
Verb
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Meanwhile, Schwartzman has been padding his resume with a slew of producing and directing projects.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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Although Cameron maintains a steady polling advantage over Barr, third-quarter filings show he’s fallen further behind in padding his campaign coffers ahead of the May 2026 primary.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These days companies are touting, and often overstating, their AI bona fides.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
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Harry How / Getty Images There is no overstating Shohei Ohtani’s importance to the Los Angeles Dodgers.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The chromium in the pan can react to high temperatures, leading to rainbow coloring on stainless steel.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
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Though some fans online have wondered if the Grammy winner is sporting a wig in the photo, Grande appears to have confirmed that the change is more permanent by tagging Francesco De Chiara, who specializes in hair coloring.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And Carys is certainly embracing shopping her mom's previous red carpet picks — even to the point of possibly overdoing it.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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Unlike horror movies built on shadowy boogeymen bouncing out of the dark, The Witch's tone stays quiet, swarming around themes of bewitchery, black magic, and wickedness without overdoing it.—
Michael Lee Simpson,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Several tech players are already constructing private energy plants for their own use as part of their data center buildouts, so there is nothing radical about Democrats insisting on tying approvals for data centers to bearing the cost of enhancing the public grid.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Gemini is also enhancing Lens in Maps.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Guests mingled and dined at long, stretching tables lined with plum calla lilies and small golden lamps.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
2 Nov. 2025
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Zelenskyy said attacks were reported in the capital Kyiv and at least nine other Ukrainian regions, stretching from frontline areas in the southeast of the country to the border with Poland in the west.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The concept is expanding into practice in the state as a solution to regional food distribution challenges.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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Future work will focus on integrating snow-deposition modeling with PV yield simulations to more accurately predict energy losses and on expanding analyses to more complex, uneven alpine terrain.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In Babylonian and Assyrian artworks, too, feathers are often seen covering the bodies of deities or embellishing royal crowns.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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That calls for a little extra creativity from its mom — and the movie’s narrator (Emilia Clarke) — who wriggles her mandibles and gets to work embellishing upon what Dahl imagined.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exaggerating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exaggerating. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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