sensationalize

American  

[sen-sey-shuh-nl-ahyz] / sɛnˈseɪ ʃə nlˌaɪz /

especially British, sensationalise

verb (used with object)

sensationalized, sensationalizing

1. to make sensational.

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sensationalize British  

/ sɛnˈseɪʃənəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to cause (events, esp in newspaper reports) to seem more vivid, shocking, etc, than they really are

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Other Word Forms

• desensationalize verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of sensationalize

First recorded in 1850–55; sensational + -ize

Example Sentences

And especially because Karen was the younger sister of Kelsey Grammer — then a 20-year-old Juilliard flunkie — it is easy to sensationalize her final moments.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2025

“Oftentimes, people—especially young scientists—want to call old discoveries by new names to sensationalize them,” she says.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2024

This lures Gene out of his own exile; first he resists having a movie studio sensationalize the case, but ultimately he’s unable to resist the limelight.

From New York Times • May 28, 2023

“But we need to do so respectfully, in a way that doesn’t sensationalize but that inspires and enlightens.”

From Seattle Times • May 16, 2023

They tend to sensationalize — to appeal to the voyeuristic tendencies people have.

From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Millard, Max