exaggerate
To make something sound bigger, better or worse than it really is.
exaggerate in a sentence
- Jack likes to exaggerate, so his small fish became a giant shark in the story.
- Don't exaggerate: the queue took ten minutes, not three hours!
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to exaggerate?
- Aoverstate
- Bminimise
- Cdownplay
- Dunderstate
Show the answer
A: overstate. The other three mean the opposite of exaggerate.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to exaggerate?
- Aoverstate
- Boverdo
- Cinflate
- Dunderstate
Show the answer
D: understate. The other three mean nearly the same as exaggerate.
Words that mean something similar
overstate, inflate, overdo
Words that mean the opposite
understate, minimise, downplay
Careful: exaggerate is not embellish
Exaggerate makes things bigger than they were. Embellish adds things that were not there. Read why children mix them up.
More words about speech & sound
- exclaim: To shout out suddenly with surprise or excitement.
- explicit: Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no doubt.
- gruff: Rough and unfriendly in voice or manner.
- harmonious: Going together in a peaceful and pleasant way.
- hubbub: A loud noise made by lots of voices at once.
- hushed: Very quiet and still.
- implore: To beg someone desperately to do something.
- imply: To suggest something without actually saying it.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test