Meaning & use
exaggerated
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Described as bigger, better, worse or more serious than the facts really support.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: an exaggerated claim; the claim is exaggerated.
Patterns
- an exaggerated claim
- be greatly exaggerated
His exaggerated stories about the fishing trip made everyone laugh.
Reports of the town's collapse were wildly exaggerated.
She gave an exaggerated account of the delay.
adjectivebefore a noun
Done in a deliberately bigger, more dramatic way than normal, often to be funny or to be seen.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: an exaggerated bow.
Patterns
- an exaggerated gesture
- an exaggerated sigh
He gave an exaggerated yawn to show he was bored.
The actor used exaggerated gestures to reach the back row.
She rolled her eyes with exaggerated patience.
adjectivebefore a noun
Unusually large or marked in shape or size, so that it stands out from what is normal.
Grammar: Describes physical features or styles: exaggerated curves.
Patterns
- exaggerated features
The cartoonist drew the villain with exaggerated features.
The fashion of the era had exaggerated shoulders.
The painting uses exaggerated colors for effect.
Common combinations
- greatly exaggerated
- Rumors of his retirement were greatly exaggerated.
- wildly exaggerated
- The danger had been wildly exaggerated in the press.
- exaggerated claim
- The ad made an exaggerated claim about the product.
- exaggerated sense
- He has an exaggerated sense of his own talent.
- exaggerated politeness
- She spoke with exaggerated politeness to annoy him.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overstated
- Overstated is more formal and describes claims that go too far, but it is rarely used for gestures.
- inflated
- Inflated suggests something puffed up in importance or price rather than simply stretched beyond the truth.
- overblown
- Overblown suggests something treated as bigger or more dramatic than it deserves.
- theatrical
- Theatrical describes showy behavior, not claims, so it fits gestures better than reports.
Opposites
Word family
- exaggerate verb
- to make something seem bigger or more extreme than it is
- exaggeration noun
- a statement that goes beyond the truth
- exaggerator noun
- a person who often exaggerates
- exaggeratedly adverb
- in an overdone way
Commonly confused: exaggerated or embellished?
exaggerated vs embellished
Embellished means decorated or improved with added details, often harmlessly. Exaggerated means stretched beyond the truth.
Practice
She doubted the story because it seemed so ___ ; no one could really have caught fifty fish in an hour.
Choose one answer.
Exaggerated fits because the story stretches the truth. Understated, accurate and modest would suggest the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exaggerated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.