# exaggerating

/ɪɡˈzædʒɝˌeɪtɪŋ/ (US) · /ɛɡzˈædʒəɹˌeɪtɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/exaggerating
Updated: 2026-05-07

## Definition

making something seem bigger, better, or worse than it really is. You do this when you want to make a story more exciting or important.

For teachers: representing something as being larger, better, or worse than it is in reality. The present participle of 'exaggerate'.

## Examples

- He is exaggerating the size of the fish he caught.
- I think she is exaggerating the difficulty of the project to get more help from the team.
- While some critics argued the author was exaggerating the social decline of the era, others felt the vivid prose accurately captured the underlying anxiety of the population.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He is exaggerating about the price." but "He is exaggerating the price." — Exaggerate is a transitive verb; it usually takes a direct object without the preposition 'about'.

## Usage notes

- Transitive or intransitive; often used in the continuous form to describe a current behavior.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.