Word
hyperbole
Phoneticshy·per·bole
US/haɪˈpɝbəˌɫi/
UK/haɪpˈɜːbəlˌi/
Definitions
01exaggeration
n. the use of exaggeration to make a point or to be funny.
n. the use of overstatement as a rhetorical device or figure of speech, often to provide emphasis or irony.
“Saying you are so hungry you could eat a horse is just hyperbole.”
“The politician's speech was filled with enough hyperbole to make his modest achievements sound like world-changing events.”
Academic
Usage
Commonly used as an uncountable noun when referring to the abstract concept of exaggeration.
Pitfall
He spoke with a lot of hyperboles.
He spoke with a lot of hyperbole.
When referring to the style of speaking, hyperbole is usually uncountable. Use the singular form for the general concept.
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02an exaggerated statement
n. a specific statement that is an extreme exaggeration.
n. a specific instance or example of extreme overstatement.
“The advertisement was full of hyperboles about how the cream could make you look twenty years younger.”
“Critics dismissed the author's latest memoir as a collection of self-serving hyperboles rather than a factual account of his life.”
Formal
Usage
Used as a countable noun when identifying individual instances of overstatement.
Real-World Examples
“Brad Gerstner, who is the head of the investment firm Altimeter Capital, posted pictures of Huang from the conference and accused Coxon of "ridiculous hyperbole".” “The routine hyperbole of the beautiful game is embraced.” Etymology
From Middle English iperbole, yperbole, from Latin hyperbolē, from Ancient Greek ὑπερβολή (huperbolḗ, “excess, exaggeration”), from ὑπέρ (hupér, “above”) + βάλλω (bállō, “I throw”, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-). Doublet of hyperbola.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/hyperbole