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Webster 1913 Edition

Exaggerate

Ex-ag′ger-ate

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Exaggerated
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Exaggerating
. ]
[L.
exaggeratus
, p. p. of
exaggerare
to heap up;
ex
out +
aggerare
to heap up, fr.
agger
heap,
aggerere
to bring to;
ad
to +
gerere
to bear. See
Jest
. ]
1.
To heap up; to accumulate.
[Obs.]
“Earth exaggerated upon them [oaks and firs].”
Sir M. Hale.
2.
To amplify; to magnify; to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth ; to delineate extravagantly ; to overstate the truth concerning.
A friend
exaggerates
a man’s virtues.
Addison.

Webster 1828 Edition

Exaggerate

EXAG'GERATE

,
Verb.
T.
[L. exaggero; ex and aggero, to heap, from agger, a heap.]
1.
To heap on; to accumulate. In this literal sense, it is seldom used; perhaps never.
2.
To highthen; to enlarge beyond the truth; to amplify; to represent as greater than strict truth will warrant. A friend exaggerates a man's virtues; a enemy exaggerates his vices or faults.
3.
In painting, to highthen in coloring or design.

Definition 2024

exaggerate

exaggerate

English

Verb

exaggerate ‎(third-person singular simple present exaggerates, present participle exaggerating, simple past and past participle exaggerated)

  1. To overstate, to describe more than is fact.
    I've told you a billion times not to exaggerate!
    He said he'd slept with hundreds of girls, but I know he's exaggerating. The real number is about ten.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Translations

Latin

Verb

exaggerāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of exaggerō

Etymology

From Latin exaggeratus, past participle of exaggerare ‎(“to heap up, increase, enlarge, magnify, amplify, exaggerate”), from ex ‎(“out, up”) + aggerare ‎(“to heap up”), from agger ‎(“a pile, heap, mound, dike, mole, pier, etc.”), from aggerere, adgerere ‎(“to bring together”), from ad ‎(“to”) + gerere ‎(“to carry”).

Pronunciation

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