exaggerating

VERB

overstate, embellish

Synonyms

STRONGEST

amplify distort emphasize fabricate falsify heighten inflate magnify misrepresent overdo overdraw overemphasize overestimate

STRONG

boast boost brag caricature color corrupt embroider enlarge exalt expand fudge hike hyperbolize intensify lie misquote pad puff pyramid romance romanticize scam stretch up

WEAK

blow out of proportion build up cook up go to extremes lay it on thick loud talk make too much of misreport pretty up put on

Antonyms

STRONGEST

compress contract decrease ignore lessen play down

STRONG

abridge be modest deprecate lower reduce shrink

WEAK

depreciate minimize understate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

exaggerating

I’m not exaggerating when I say this happens every single time we go to the movies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

The allegations in these indictments apparently are that they went beyond exaggerating the threats and actually supported these organizations to make them bigger threats so they could then monitor them or do whatever they did.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

We got in, the car lurched forward and, I’m not exaggerating, less than a block later, the driver stopped the car, jumped out and opened my door.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The former chair of the education faculty has also faced accusations of fabricating or exaggerating elements of his CV.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

“Look, I was exaggerating when I called it a house party. It’s just Sarah, her sister Missy, and this guy Alfie I used to play soccer with when I was a kid.”

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman