Meaning & use
exaggerate
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To describe something as bigger, better, worse or more serious than it really is.
Grammar: Can take an object (exaggerate the danger) or stand alone (Stop exaggerating).
Patterns
- exaggerate something
- exaggerate about something
My brother always exaggerates the size of the fish he catches.
Reporters were accused of exaggerating the damage after the storm.
I'm not exaggerating when I say the line was two hours long.
verbtransitive
To make a feature or quality look or sound stronger or more obvious than usual.
Grammar: Takes an object: the lighting exaggerated her features.
Patterns
- exaggerate something
The cartoonist exaggerates the politician's large ears.
Harsh shadows exaggerated every wrinkle on his face.
Tight clothing can exaggerate the shape of the hips.
Word forms
| third person singular | exaggerates |
|---|---|
| past tense | exaggerated |
| past participle | exaggerated |
| -ing form | exaggerating |
Common combinations
- grossly exaggerate
- The company grossly exaggerated its profits to attract investors.
- exaggerate the importance of
- It is easy to exaggerate the importance of a single test score.
- tend to exaggerate
- Fishermen tend to exaggerate their catches.
- exaggerate the risks
- Critics say the report exaggerates the risks of the new drug.
- hard to exaggerate
- The relief we felt was hard to exaggerate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overstate
- Overstate is more formal and usually concerns claims or arguments, whereas exaggerate also fits stories and physical features.
- embellish
- Embellish means adding invented or decorative details to a story, so it is gentler than exaggerate, which stretches facts that are already there.
- inflate
- Inflate is used mostly for numbers, prices and egos, and suggests deliberate puffing up.
- magnify
- Magnify often suggests making a problem or feeling seem larger, sometimes without any intent to deceive.
Opposites
Word family
- exaggeration noun
- a statement that makes something seem greater than it is
- exaggerated adjective
- made to seem larger or more extreme than reality
- exaggeratedly adverb
- in a way that is stretched beyond what is true or normal
- exaggerator noun
- a person who habitually exaggerates
Commonly confused: exaggerate or extrapolate?
exaggerate vs extrapolate
Extrapolate means to extend known data to predict something unknown; it does not mean to make something sound bigger.
Practice
Maya said the test was 'impossible', but really it was just a bit hard. She tends to ______.
Choose one answer.
Exaggerate means to describe something as more extreme than it is. Explain is tempting but means to make clear, not to overstate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exaggerate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.