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exaggerate

Syllabification: (ex·ag·ger·ate)
Pronunciation: /igˈzajəˌrāt/

Translate exaggerate | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of exaggerate

verb

[with object]
  • represent (something) as being larger, greater, better, or worse than it really is:they were apt to exaggerate any aches and pains [no object]:I couldn’t sleep for three days—I’m not exaggerating
  • (as adjective exaggerated) enlarged or altered beyond normal or due proportions:her plump thighs, exaggerated hips, and minuscule waist

Derivatives

exaggeratedly

adverb

exaggerative

Pronunciation: /-ˌrātiv/

adjective

exaggerator

Pronunciation: /-ˌrātər/

noun

Origin:

mid 16th century: from Latin exaggerat- 'heaped up', from the verb exaggerare, from ex- 'thoroughly' + aggerare 'heap up' (from agger 'heap'). The word originally meant 'pile up, accumulate', later 'intensify praise or blame', 'dwell on a virtue or fault', giving rise to current senses

Spell exaggerate and the related word exaggeration with a double g and a single r.a bragger always exaggerates.

exaggerate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of exaggerate in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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