SENSATIONALIZE Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

sensationalize

verb

as in to exaggerate

disapproving to describe or show something in a way that makes it seem more shocking than it really is Journalists should report the news accurately without trying to sensationalize it.

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of sensationalize And with both projects, Barbato tells Vanity Fair, their goal as filmmakers wasn’t to further sensationalize an already lurid crime. —

Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026 There is an undeniable oversupply of negative, fear-inducing and even sensationalized content. —

Heather V. MacArthur, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026 Aside from Tapia, the most high-profile figure named in the investigation, there are other protagonists whose entanglement has sensationalized the story. —

Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026 Malice chooses not to sensationalize the moment. —

Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 14 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sensationalize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensationalize

exaggerate

Verb

This was borrowed directly from American sports reporters, with their propensity to exaggerate to make a point, often by citing absurd numbers.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Goldman Sachs’ David Mericle suggests this reading has perhaps been exaggerated.

— Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026