exaggerate

verb

ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrāt How to pronounce exaggerate (audio)
Definition of exaggeratenext
1
as in to enhance
to add to the interest of by including made-up details the American colonist John Smith is believed by many historians to have exaggerated his adventures

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overstate
to describe or express in too strong terms it would be impossible to exaggerate the importance of this entrance exam

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exaggerate Over 80 million American adults hide their religious disbelief or exaggerate their faith. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026 Standard laboratory models greatly exaggerated the actual performance of liquid thermogalvanic cells. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026 The South Korean military, which often accuses North Korea of exaggerating its military capabilities, did not immediately comment on Kim's claims. — Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026 In a letter to Congress, the former employees say this betrays that the infrastructure problems are being exaggerated. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exaggerate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exaggerate
  1. enhance
  2. overstate
  3. pad
  4. overdo
  5. hyperbolize
  6. stretch
  7. color
  8. overdraw
Verb
  • Throughout history, some were commissioned to enhance the interiors with their signature flair while others bartered their artwork for breaks on daily rates and others simply just thrived off the scene.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Each picture mode offers essentially the same rich set of options, except for AI-enhanced, which locks you out of some settings (including local contrast and color tuner), presumably because the AI logic is handling those.
    — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of enhance
Verb
  • The gap between those predictions and the reality on the ground suggests many observers have overstated the likelihood of war.
    — Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Mamut and Grönberg were persuaded by Paul Best, a new arrival at Elliott, who believed that the eclipse of brick-and-mortar retail by online commerce had been overstated, and that certain chains could flourish if well capitalized.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of overstate
Verb
  • But one expert estimated the diesel waiver alone could help Russian exporters net $30 to $40 more per ton, in turn padding Moscow’s tax revenue.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Delivery & Initial Setup The microwave arrived in a standard cardboard box, padded with some Styrofoam to fill out the interior gaps and keep the device secure.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pad
Verb
  • Don’t get too warm, though Although staying warm is essential — things like fingers don’t work as efficiently when chilled — don’t overdo it.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • One of her concerns is layering products, which can easily lead to overdoing it on the actives.
    — Korin Miller, Allure, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of overdo
Verb
  • Gauthier was hyperbolizing, but his statement looked true Monday.
    — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • The filthy talk of collusion, of course hyperbolized by Unsocial Media, again is crawling out of the swamp.
    — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2023
Definition of hyperbolize
Verb
  • The 49ers scored a touchdown on fourth-and-goal as running back Christian McCaffrey leaped over the pile of linemen and stretched the ball across the goal line, giving San Francisco an early 7-0 lead.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • More specifically, the Base-01 stretches out over a patch of earthen floor measuring 183 sq ft (17 sq m) – about the same amount of floor as this handsome Ikea tiny home.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of stretch
Verb
  • The team revised Rotta’s face and coloring to bring him closer to Jabba while refining his muscular physique.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • And its milk chocolate gems are like M&M’s but colored with real foods like beet juice and spirulina.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of color
Verb
  • No fee if the transaction is $5 or less or your account is overdrawn by $20 or less.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Slightly overdraw the cupid’s bow and the center of your bottom lip — but leave the corners alone.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 29 July 2026
Definition of overdraw

Browse Nearby Words

exacts
exaggerate
exaggerated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exaggerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exaggerate. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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