exaggerated

adjective

ex·​ag·​ger·​at·​ed ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-təd 

1

: excessively or inappropriately heightened, inflated, or overstated

exaggerated fears

a wildly exaggerated story

As students go from one disconnected course to the next, they tend to form a highly exaggerated idea of the differences between teachers and subjects.

—Gerald Graff

2

: enlarged or increased beyond the normal : greater than normal

… many people have an unusual or exaggerated response to a drug, but they are not necessarily allergic to the drug.

—Paul D. Buisseret

exaggeratedly adverb

… my own view of the art of architecture—a view that many people (including many architects) would perhaps consider an exaggeratedly lofty one.

—Brendan Gill

Koenig's movements were brisk, exaggeratedly optimistic.

—Nick Paumgarten

exaggeratedness noun

… we often do not respond to exaggeration by simply pointing out its exaggeratedness …

—Julie Kuhlken

Synonyms

• bloated
• hyperbolized
• inflated
• outsize
• outsized
• overblown
• overdrawn
• overweening

Examples of exaggerated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Twenty years later, a WHI follow-up reveals that for women under 60, those risks were greatly exaggerated. —Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024

The Art Institutes exaggerated relationships with employers and did not offer ongoing career services once students graduated, the Education Department said. —Gillian Brassil, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2024

The exaggerated nonverbal communication felt more appropriate for the environment than voice chat. —PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024

Another recent paper suggested that a claim that AI was better than the vast majority of humans at writing legal bar exams was exaggerated. —Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024

Her sequined halter gown—featuring referential detailing, from polo collar to racket motif to mesh pleated panels—was an all-out ode to tennis, one furthered by her exaggerated take on the court-ready pony. —Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2024

Curb Your Enthusiasm premiered on HBO in 2000, inspired by an hourlong mockumentary initially intended as a one-off in which David, 76, portrays an exaggerated version of himself. —Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024

Tiana, too, seen in equestrian pants and an explorer’s jacket, is full of exaggerated arm gestures, speaking to guests with an excited flourish. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024

This retro-futuristic style comes to life in vivid Technicolor in the series, which feels like the video game come to life in the best way possible, full of exaggerated costumes, cartoonish violence and very big guns. —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of exaggerate

First Known Use

circa 1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1