exaggerate

verb

ex·​ag·​ger·​ate ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrāt How to pronounce exaggerate (audio)
exaggerated; exaggerating

transitive verb

1
: to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth : overstate
a friend exaggerates a man's virtuesJoseph Addison
2
: to enlarge or increase especially beyond the normal : overemphasize

intransitive verb

: to make an overstatement
exaggerative
ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-tiv How to pronounce exaggerate (audio)
-ˈzaj-rə-tiv
-ˈza-jə-rə-tiv
adjective
exaggerator noun
exaggeratory adjective

Examples of exaggerate in a Sentence

The book exaggerates the difficulties he faced in starting his career. It's impossible to exaggerate the importance of this discovery. He tends to exaggerate when talking about his accomplishments. He exaggerated his movements so we could see them more clearly.
Recent Examples on the Web Early in the trial, to illustrate how Mr. Trump exaggerated his wealth when pursuing potential deals, a lawyer for the attorney general asked a witness about Mr. Trump’s failed effort to buy the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League a decade ago. Ben Protess, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 James started investigating Trump’s financial statements in 2019 after his former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, provided Congress with copies of some of the documents and testified that his former boss had a history of exaggerating the value of his assets. Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024 State lawyers said Trump exaggerated his wealth by as much as $3.6 billion one year. Michael R. Sisak, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2024 States must ensure that there is oversight by requiring objective and accurate verification of all climate claims so that funders cannot exaggerate their results. Rachel Glennerster, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2024 Dame Lorraine wears extravagant costumes, exaggerating the features of upper-class individuals. Melissa Noel, Essence, 13 Feb. 2024 At Hearst’s Detroit Times, an editor accused Life of exaggerating racial conflict, noting that the magazine reporter was Black. Tom Stanton, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2024 Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Talking in a way that exaggerates your capabilities is genuinely possible. Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2024 And to ease the politics of containment, U.S. officials sometimes exaggerated the Soviet threat or simply deceived the American people about policies carried out in their name. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exaggerate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin exaggerātus, past participle of exaggerāre "to heap up, construct by piling up, increase in significance," from ex- ex- entry 1 + aggerāre "to heap up over, form into a heap," verbal derivative of agger "rubble, earthwork, rampart, dam," noun derivative of aggerere "to bring, carry (to or up), push close up (against)," from ag- ag- + gerere "to carry, bring" — more at jest entry 1

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of exaggerate was in 1613

Dictionary Entries Near exaggerate

Cite this Entry

“Exaggerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exaggerate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

exaggerate

verb
ex·​ag·​ger·​ate ig-ˈzaj-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce exaggerate (audio)
exaggerated; exaggerating
: to enlarge a fact or statement beyond what is actual or true
exaggeratedly
-ˌrāt-əd-lē
adverb
exaggeratedness
-nəs
noun
exaggeration noun
exaggerator noun
Etymology

from Latin exaggeratus "exaggerate," from exaggerare, literally, "to heap up"

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