exaggerate

exaggerate — verb

1. to describe something in a way that makes it seem bigger, more important, or mor

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to describe something in a way that makes it seem bigger, more important, or more extreme than it actually is — for example, saying you waited 'forever' when you only waited ten minutes.

Example

The fisherman exaggerated the size of the fish he had caught.

Lara tends to exaggerate when she tells stories about her travels.

intransitive: exaggerate + when-clause

Common collocations
  • exaggerate greatly
  • exaggerate wildly
  • exaggerate the truth
  • exaggerate the importance
  • exaggerate the problem
  • exaggerate the dangers
Synonyms
  • overstate

    more formal; common in written and business contexts

  • embellish

    suggests adding attractive details to a story rather than simply overstating facts

  • stretch the truth

    informal idiom; softer and less accusatory than exaggerate

  • inflate

    specifically used with numbers, prices, or statistics

Antonyms
  • understate

    direct opposite; present something as smaller or less important than it is

  • downplay

    to make something seem less serious or important than it really is

Grammar Patterns

exaggerate + noun

exaggerate + about + noun

exaggerate + when-clause

Usage Note

Frequently used intransitively in conversation, especially in phrases like 'You're exaggerating!' or 'I'm not exaggerating.'

Common Mistakes

The newspaper exaggerated about the story completely.
The newspaper completely exaggerated the story.
with intensifying adverbs, place them before the verb, not after 'about'.
It is exaggerating to say that...
It is an exaggeration to say that...
after 'It is', use the noun form 'exaggeration', not the verb.

2. to perform an action or behaviour to a degree that goes beyond what is usual, re

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to perform an action or behaviour to a degree that goes beyond what is usual, reasonable, or healthy — for instance, exaggerating your training by running twice as far as advised.

Example

Ryo exaggerated his workout routine and injured his shoulder.

exaggerate + routine/effort (physical excess)

The actor exaggerated every gesture, turning a simple scene into a comedy show.

Common collocations
  • exaggerate one's efforts
  • exaggerate one's movements
  • exaggerate the seasoning
  • exaggerate the dosage
Synonyms
  • overdo

    more common in everyday speech; less formal

  • overplay

    especially used in performance, sports, or emotional contexts

  • go overboard

    informal idiom; suggests lack of self-control

Antonyms
  • moderate

    to keep actions within reasonable limits

  • restrain

    to hold back from doing something excessively

Grammar Patterns

exaggerate + noun (action or behaviour)

Usage Note

Subject is typically a specific physical action or measurable behaviour (workout, seasoning, gestures). Unlike sense 1, this sense does not take an about-phrase.

Common Mistakes

She exaggerated about her workout routine.
She exaggerated her workout routine.
sense 2 requires a direct object without 'about'; 'exaggerate about' belongs to sense 1.

Word family

  • exaggeration
    nounB1
  • exaggerated
    adjectiveB1
  • exaggeratedly
    adverbC1
  • unexaggerated
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Exaggerate, overstate, embellish, stretch the truth, and inflate all involve going beyond factual accuracy, but they differ in tone and context. Exaggerate is the most neutral and widely used — it simply means to present something as larger or more extreme than it really is. Overstate is more formal and often appears in business or academic writing, implying that the scale or importance has been pushed beyond reason ('The report overstated the company's profits'). Embellish suggests adding appealing but untrue details to a story to make it more entertaining. Stretch the truth is an informal, gentler phrase that avoids directly accusing someone of lying. Inflate is the most specific, referring almost exclusively to numbers, prices, or statistics made to seem larger than they are. For example, a politician might exaggerate the benefits of a policy, a journalist might inflate the crowd size at a rally, and a friend might embellish a boring weekend into an adventure.

overstate ↗embellishstretch the truth ↗inflate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • exaggerate the truth
  • exaggerate the problem
  • exaggerate the importance
  • exaggerate the dangers

Adverbs

  • greatly exaggerate
  • wildly exaggerate
  • constantly exaggerate
  • slightly exaggerate

Phrases

  • it is no exaggeration to say

Prepositions

  • exaggerate about

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Exaggerate comes from Latin exaggerare, meaning 'to heap up, pile up, or enlarge'. The root agger means 'a mound' or 'pile of earth'. The word once described the physical act of building up a mound of earth, but by the 1500s it had taken on the figurative meaning of 'piling up' details to make something seem bigger than it is.