INDEX:
1. to exaggerate something
2. something that is exaggerated
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1. to exaggerate something
▷ exaggerate /ɪgˈzædʒəreɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to say that something is much bigger, better, worse, more important etc than it really is :
▪ ‘He said you walked 30 miles.’ ‘No - he’s exaggerating. It was only about 15.’
▪ Newspapers tend to exaggerate their influence on the way people vote.
▪ The grass in the garden was about three feet high - I’m not exaggerating.
▷ blow something (up) out of all proportion /ˌbləʊ something ʌp aʊt əv ˌɔːl prəˈpɔːʳʃ ə n/ [verb phrase]
to say that a situation or event is a lot worse or much more serious than it really is, especially with the result that people become very worried or annoyed :
▪ The whole thing has been blown out of all proportion by the media.
▪ It was just a simple disagreement. Don’t blow it up out of all proportion.
▷ make too much of /ˌmeɪk tuː ˈmʌtʃ ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to treat something that has happened as though it were more important or serious than it really is :
▪ The press made too much of his stupid remark. He was only joking.
▪ She loved the fact that he’d sent her flowers, but she didn’t want to make too much of it in case it meant nothing.
▷ overrated /ˌəʊvəˈreɪtɪd◂, ˌəʊvəˈreɪtəd◂/ [adjective]
if someone or something is overrated, people say they are much better than they really are :
▪ I think her books are very overrated.
▪ Critics claim that many soccer players are overpaid, overrated and out of touch.
▷ overemphasize also overemphasise British /ˌəʊvərˈemfəsaɪz/ [transitive verb]
to say that a part of something is more important than it really is, especially in relation to other things :
▪ The report overemphasizes the role of the teacher. Children also learn from their parents and from each other.
▪ The importance of strict hygiene in the preparation of food cannot be overemphasized.
▷ overstate /ˌəʊvəʳˈsteɪt/ [transitive verb]
to describe something in a way that makes it sound more important or serious than it really is, especially in order to persuade people about something :
▪ The company says that the dangers of driving while using cell phones have been overstated.
▪ Politicians typically overstate their case in order to get their point across.
▷ be melodramatic /biː ˌmelədrəˈmætɪk/ [adjective]
behaving as if a situation is much worse or more serious than it really is, especially with the result that you seem silly :
▪ Oh, don’t be so melodramatic! You’re not the only one who has ever failed an exam.
▪ She said she’d kill herself if he left her. She’s always so melodramatic!
▷ lay it on /ˌleɪ ɪt ˈɒn/ [verb phrase] informal
to say that your situation is much worse or you feel much more upset than is really true, in order to make someone feel sorry for you :
▪ She really laid it on - saying that her kids would starve if we didn’t give you a job.
lay it on thick
▪ Most charities lay it on so thick it’s hard to know what the truth is.
2. something that is exaggerated
▷ exaggeration /ɪgˌzædʒəˈreɪʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a statement that makes something seem better or worse, bigger or smaller etc than it really is :
▪ Jim’s not fat exactly - that’s an exaggeration. He’s just a little overweight.
▪ How much of the story was exaggeration is impossible to say.
gross exaggeration
a big exaggeration
▪ It would be a gross exaggeration to describe the film as a masterpiece, but it has some good moments.
it is an exaggeration to say that
▪ It is an exaggeration to say that he earns more money than anyone I know, but he is certainly very well paid.
▷ exaggerated /ɪgˈzædʒəreɪtɪd, ɪgˈzædʒəreɪtəd/ [adjective]
making something seem much worse, better, more important etc than it really is :
▪ The numbers killed in the massacre are probably exaggerated.
wildly/grossly exaggerated
▪ Some wildly exaggerated claims have been made about this so-called ‘wonder-drug’.
▷ extravagant /ɪkˈstrævəgənt/ [adjective]
exaggerated a lot and therefore difficult to believe :
▪ Extravagant claims have been made for some herbal remedies including the curing of baldness.
▷ overstatement /ˈəʊvəʳsteɪtmənt/ [singular noun]
a statement that is exaggerated and therefore probably not true - use this especially as a polite way of saying that a statement is exaggerated :
▪ He said she was really beautiful -- a slight overstatement I thought.
▪ To say the company was going bankrupt is an overstatement. We have one or two financial problems, that’s all.