exaggeration

noun

ex·​ag·​ger·​a·​tion ig-ˌza-jə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce exaggeration (audio)
plural exaggerations
: an act or instance of exaggerating something : overstatement of the truth
She told us what happened without exaggeration.
: a statement that exaggerates something
a report filled with exaggerations and outright lies
But it's no exaggeration to say that this car has been one of the major linchpins of the burgeoning Asian hot-rod phenomenon.Tony Swan
Scads of fibs, exaggerations and misleading statements have been swept up in the dragnet …James Poniewozik

Examples of exaggeration in a Sentence

their exaggeration was such that a rainstorm became a hurricane
Recent Examples on the Web That’s probably exaggeration, but along those lines. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 29 May 2024 The intense focus on actual couture clothing made room for some fun exaggeration. Valli Herman, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024 While that's almost certainly an exaggeration, the building is one of the most visible signs of the ways in which the country has changed since Kagame came to power in the years after the brutal genocide shocked the world. Tinbete Ermyas, NPR, 20 May 2024 One very dangerous side effect of all this has been that hearing exaggerations about the relatively few problems with COVID vaccines also spurred fears of other vaccines. Thomas D. Elias, Orange County Register, 17 May 2024 That's not an exaggeration: Ten probes that have made it to the Venusian surface; none of them have lasted more than two hours. Regina G. Barber, NPR, 8 May 2024 As for Emanuel’s May 5 comment that Ellison has great relationships with everyone in town, that seems to be an exaggeration. Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2024 Because literal-minded people don’t understand metaphor, irony or comic exaggeration. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 May 2024 What’s the difference between an exaggeration and a lie in these sentences? Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 1 May 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exaggeration was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near exaggeration

Cite this Entry

“Exaggeration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exaggeration. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.

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