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hyperbolic

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˌhaɪpɝˈbɑɫɪk// UK //hˌaɪpəbˈɒlɪk// hy·per·bol·ic

adj. describing something as much bigger, better, or worse than it really is. You use this when someone is exaggerating to make a point.

adj. characterised by deliberate and obvious exaggeration for rhetorical effect. Often used to describe speech or writing that is not intended to be taken literally.


SIMPLE

His claim that he waited for hours was hyperbolic.

CONTEXTUAL

The politician's hyperbolic speech about the minor tax change caused unnecessary panic among the voters.

COMPLEX

While the author's prose is often hyperbolic, these stylistic excesses serve to mirror the protagonist's increasingly unstable and dramatic mental state.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Latin hyperbolic(us), from Ancient Greek ὑπερβολικός (huperbolikós). First attested in the 15th century. By surface analysis, hyperbol(e) + -ic.

Etymology 2

First attested in 1676. By surface analysis, hyperbol(a) + -ic.

Usage

Often used to describe language, claims, or rhetorical styles; can be used predicatively after linking verbs like 'sound' or 'seem'.

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