exaggerated

adjective

ex·​ag·​ger·​at·​ed ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrā-təd 

1

: excessively or inappropriately heightened, inflated, or overstated

exaggerated fears

a wildly exaggerated story

As students go from one disconnected course to the next, they tend to form a highly exaggerated idea of the differences between teachers and subjects.

—Gerald Graff

2

: enlarged or increased beyond the normal : greater than normal

… many people have an unusual or exaggerated response to a drug, but they are not necessarily allergic to the drug.

—Paul D. Buisseret

exaggeratedly adverb

… my own view of the art of architecture—a view that many people (including many architects) would perhaps consider an exaggeratedly lofty one.

—Brendan Gill

Koenig's movements were brisk, exaggeratedly optimistic.

—Nick Paumgarten

exaggeratedness noun

… we often do not respond to exaggeration by simply pointing out its exaggeratedness …

—Julie Kuhlken

Synonyms

• bloated
• hyperbolized
• inflated
• outsize
• outsized
• overblown
• overdrawn
• overweening

Examples of exaggerated in a Sentence

loves the exaggerated emotions that are part and parcel of grand opera

Recent Examples on the Web

Astle lives a little over 60 miles from the Mexican border, and said the talk of higher crime in the area due to immigration is exaggerated. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

Allegations of widespread mail-in ballot fraud are also exaggerated. —Clifford Tatum, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024

The spoof video that is played on screens at Trump’s rallies alternates between scenes of intense military training, sometimes with drill sergeants yelling at troops, and scenes depicting what are meant to portray LGBTQ members of the military, each displaying exaggerated feminine affects. —Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024

With exaggerated bodies with stripes and dots, they are considered creatures from our dreams and the realm of the dead. —Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Courier-Journal, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of exaggerate

First Known Use

circa 1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1