noun
an overstepping of the bounds of truth
the passage shows the author's penchant for grotesque exaggeration
Synonyms: coloring, embellishment, embroidering, hyperbole, overstatement
Related Word: aggrandizement, amplification, enlargement; overcoloring, overdrawing, romance, stretching
Idioms: flight of fancy, tall talk
Contrasted words: minimizing, underestimation
Antonyms: understatement