hyperbole

[ hahy-pur-buh-lee ]

noun

, Rhetoric.

1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

   Synonyms: overstatement

   Antonyms: understatement

hyperbole

/ haɪˈpɜːbəlɪ /

noun

1. a deliberate exaggeration used for effect

   he embraced her a thousand times

hyperbole

1. An exaggerated, extravagant expression. It is hyperbole to say, “I'd give my whole fortune for a bowl of bean soup.”

Derived Forms

• hyˈperbolism, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyperbole¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Greek hyperbolḗ “excess, exaggeration, a throwing beyond,” equivalent to hyper- hyper- + bolḗ “a throw”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyperbole¹

C16: from Greek: from hyper- + bolē a throw, from ballein to throw

Example Sentences

You and your colleagues' conclusion that something appears to be dangerously wrong with Trump's mind, personality, brain and behavior is not conjecture or partisan hyperbole.

From Salon

Many hoped that night’s statement was the last gasp of Trumpian lies and hyperbole.

From Los Angeles Times

The reality of the new teen accounts may not quite match up to the hyperbole of the press release, but Meta didn’t have to make this change.

From BBC

In her book Ringmaster, Ms Riesman argues that to understand the 78-year-old's rise, fall and comeback in American politics is to see it through the lens of professional wrestling - its art of blending fiction and reality, its psychology of elevating emotion through hyperbole, and its ability to transform the reviled into the righteous.

From BBC

The mainstream media continues to treat this as mere hyperbole.

From Salon

Related Words

• hype
• metaphor
• overstatement