as in exaggerating
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 sensationalizing
Notoriety trailed Woodhull through her life, but, rather than sensationalizing her scandals, Collinsworth highlights Woodhull’s flair for reinvention, and her drive to set the terms by which she would be remembered.
—
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensationalizing
Verb
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In the series, Gacy enjoyed talking about many of his accomplishments and exaggerating some of his stories.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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The current practice is for the Vatican to simply announce when a bishop has resigned without elaborating.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
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The series, which ran for three seasons between 2014 and 2017, extends beyond the novel in seasons 2 and 3, embracing the fantastical and elaborating on themes of how one moves on following a random, inexplicable tragedy.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Still, experts warn that there is such a thing as overemphasizing the data and getting bogged down by less-than-optimal scores.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sensationalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensationalizing. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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