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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Recent Examples of sensationalize
Burnett’s early films have been credited for their honest rendering of Black working-class life in Los Angeles, a milieu rarely shown, or at best sensationalized, by Hollywood.
—
Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
But the Labor Department itself responded to the report at the time that the claims were these same pseudo records, and that mischaracterizing them risked sensationalizing the aid program.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
At a moment when sensationalized true-crime documentaries are often the ones that top the trending charts, Garbus knowing where to draw the line is what sets quality apart from quantity in the streaming age.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 31 Mar. 2025
There are a lot of documentaries that aren’t from the family, that are sensationalized — thankfully the power and the reputation of the movie has superseded all of those things.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sensationalize
Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
But the Labor Department itself responded to the report at the time that the claims were these same pseudo records, and that mischaracterizing them risked sensationalizing the aid program.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
At a moment when sensationalized true-crime documentaries are often the ones that top the trending charts, Garbus knowing where to draw the line is what sets quality apart from quantity in the streaming age.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 31 Mar. 2025
There are a lot of documentaries that aren’t from the family, that are sensationalized — thankfully the power and the reputation of the movie has superseded all of those things.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sensationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensationalize
exaggerate
Verb
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Second, the extent of the controversies has often been exaggerated: a handful of Trump supporters have stuck their heads above the parapet, the media have sniffed drama and written up stories about friction, and nothing has ultimately changed.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
27 June 2025
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Opponents of burnout argue that burnout researchers exaggerate that burnout is a condition of epidemic magnitude.—
Lieke ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sensationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensationalize. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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