Synonyms

exaggerate

American

[ig-zaj-uh-reyt] / ɪgˈzædʒ əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

exaggerated, exaggerating

to magnify beyond the limits of truth; overstate; represent disproportionately.

to exaggerate the difficulties of a situation.

Synonyms:

embroider, amplify, embellish

Antonyms:

minimize
to increase or enlarge abnormally.

Those shoes exaggerate the size of my feet.

Synonyms:

inflate

verb (used without object)

exaggerated, exaggerating

to employ exaggeration, as in speech or writing.

a person who is always exaggerating.

exaggerate British

/ ɪɡˈzædʒəˌreɪt /

verb

to regard or represent as larger or greater, more important or more successful, etc, than is true
(tr) to make greater, more noticeable, etc, than usual

his new clothes exaggerated his awkwardness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

exaggeratingly adverb
exaggeration noun
exaggerative adjective
exaggerator noun
nonexaggerating adjective
overexaggerate verb
unexaggerating adjective

Etymology

Origin of exaggerate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin exaggerātus “heaped up,” past participle of exaggerāre “to heap up,” from ex- ex- ¹ + agger “heap” + -āre, infinitive verb suffix

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023