as in exaggerated
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 sensationalized
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
Studies have found that people who watch a lot of local news, in which crime is often sensationalized, tend to get a distorted view of how dangerous their neighborhood is.
—Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
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
Studies have found that people who watch a lot of local news, in which crime is often sensationalized, tend to get a distorted view of how dangerous their neighborhood is.
—Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensationalized
Verb
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Machado also pushed back on suggestions that Venezuela’s role in drug trafficking had been exaggerated to support the argument of those calling for regime change.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
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Blazy exaggerated the frayed hems that Coco Chanel loved into ragged edges by letting the cloth be overtaken slowly with tiny hanging strings of beads.—
Nathan Heller,
Vogue,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump elaborated on efforts to lay off federal workers during the government shutdown during remarks on Friday evening.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Oct. 2025
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At the Comic Con event nine years later, the author elaborated a bit more about the differences between the two famous Martins.—
Brian Anthony Hernandez,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sensationalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensationalized. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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