English Explanatory Dictionary

exaggerate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To overstate, to describe more than the fact.
adj
  1. Exaggerative; overblown.

Pronunciation

/ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ /ɛk(s)ˈzæ(ɡ)d͡ʒɜː(ɹ).ɹeɪt/ /ɪɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ en-us-exaggerate.ogg

Word forms

exaggerate exaggerates exaggerating exaggerated more exaggerate most exaggerate

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin exaggerātus, perfect passive participle of exaggerō (“to heap up, increase, enlarge, magnify, amplify, exaggerate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out, up”) + aggerō, aggerāre (“to heap up”), from agger (“a pile, heap, mound, dike, mole, pier, etc.”), from aggerō, aggerere (“to bear, carry to (some place), bring together”), from ad- (“to, toward”) + gerō (“to carry”).

Synonyms

big up overexaggerate overstate hyperbolize stretch overcharge cut it fat exaggerate overdo overemphasize play up three-sheet

Antonyms

trivialize belittle downplay understate

Related words

exaggeration show off

Derived words

exaggeratedly exaggeratingly exaggerative exaggeratively exaggerativeness exaggerator exaggeratory hyperexaggerate underexaggerate
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on E Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary