Word
exaggerate
Definition
v. to describe something as bigger, better, or worse than it really is. You do this to make a story more exciting or to make a point more strongly.
v. to represent something as being larger, greater, better, or worse than it is in reality. Transitive — requires a direct object.
Examples
“He tends to exaggerate how much money he makes.”
“The newspaper was accused of trying to exaggerate the danger of the storm to sell more copies.”
“While the witness did not lie about the events, the prosecutor argued that she chose to exaggerate the defendant's level of aggression to influence the jury.”
Examples
simple
“He tends to exaggerate how much money he makes.”
contextual
“The newspaper was accused of trying to exaggerate the danger of the storm to sell more copies.”
complex
“While the witness did not lie about the events, the prosecutor argued that she chose to exaggerate the defendant's level of aggression to influence the jury.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “exaggerate” in context.
Adverb
01. greatly exaggerate
“The media reports tended to greatly exaggerate the severity of the situation.”
adv + verb
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It is often used in the passive voice when discussing claims or reports.
Pitfall
He exaggerated about his success.
He exaggerated his success.
Exaggerate is a transitive verb; it takes a direct object and does not require the preposition 'about'.
Real-World Examples
“Parents often naturally exaggerate vowel sounds when they speak to babies: for example, saying "sheep" with a clearer "eee" sound that stands out.” “In climate data, "noise" refers to short-erm temperature changes that can temporarily hide or exaggerate the underlying trend.” Etymology
Borrowed from Latin exaggerātus, perfect passive participle of exaggerō (“to heap up, increase, enlarge, magnify, amplify, exaggerate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out, up”) + aggerō, aggerāre (“to heap up”), from agger (“a pile, heap, mound, dike, mole, pier, etc.”), from aggerō, aggerere (“to bear, carry to (some place), bring together”), from ad- (“to, toward”) + gerō (“to carry”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/exaggerate
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0