From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishexaggerateex‧ag‧ge‧rate /ɪɡˈzædʒəreɪt/ ●●○ verb [intransitive, transitive] EXAGGERATEto make something seem better, larger, worse etc than it really is I couldn’t sleep for three days – I’m not exaggerating.it’s easy/difficult/impossible to exaggerate something It’s difficult to exaggerate the importance of sleep.COLLOCATIONSphrasesit is difficult/hard/impossible to exaggerate something (=used to say that something cannot be made to seem more important etc than it already is)It is difficult to exaggerate the strength of people’s feelings on this matter.it is easy to exaggerate somethingIt’s all too easy to exaggerate the importance of these rather minor factors.exaggerate the importance/significance (of something)Personally, I think society exaggerates the importance of marriage.exaggerate the extent of something (=say that the size or degree of something is greater than it really is)The army exaggerated the extent to which the operation was a success.exaggerate the impact (of something) (=say the effect or influence of something is worse than it really is)We believe the Chancellor is exaggerating the impact these proposals will have.exaggerate the size (of something)I’m sure Tommy is exaggerating the size of the problem.exaggerate the effect (of something)He yawned widely, exaggerating the effect by stretching his arms wide. THESAURUSexaggerate to say that something is much bigger, better, worse, more important etc than it really isHe exaggerated his own achievements.These claims are wildly exaggerated. The grass in the garden was about three feet high – I’m not exaggerating.blow something (up) out of all proportion to say a situation or event is a lot worse or much more serious than it really isThe problem really has been blown up out of all proportion.make too much of something to treat something that has happened as though it were more important or serious than it really is – used especially when saying that you should not do thisShe 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.It's probably nothing – children often get these strange ideas. You shouldn’t make too much of themoveremphasize (also overemphasise British English) to say that a part of something is more important and has a bigger effect than is really true, especially in relation to other thingsThe importance of cleanliness in the preparation of food cannot be overemphasized.Historians have tended to overemphasize the role of the monarchy in British history.overstate to describe something in a way that makes it sound more important or serious than it really isSometimes she overstates her case.The importance of advertising can hardly be overstated.overplay to make something seem more important than it is, in the way that you talk about it or treat itThe media has greatly overplayed this issue.glorify to make someone or something seem much better, less harmful etc than they really are – used when you think it is wrong to do thisHis films glorify violence.My father never glorified war. These images were produced in order to glorify the empire.talk something up informal to talk about something in a way that makes it appear more important, interesting, or successful than it really is, especially to get someone’s support or interestAt the interview, he talked up his experience of working in sales.The government tried to talk up the threat posed by these countries, in order to justify an increase in military spending. overrated adjective if you think someone or something is overrated, you think they are not nearly as good as people claimI think her books are overrated.As a player he’s overrated.idealized adjective an idealized image, view, picture etc of someone or something shows them as being much better than they really areHis books give an idealized picture of English rural life.her friend’s idealized view of marriage → See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
exaggerate• Rob said he caught a 20-pound fish, but I think he was exaggerating.• The grass in the garden was about three feet high - I'm not exaggerating.• Meanwhile, his behavior became even more exaggerated.• "He said you walked 30 miles." "No - he's exaggerating. It was only about 15."• The police go into classrooms and exaggerate some of the risks.• Reward systems often exaggerate the mismatch by offering the wrong rewards to the wrong people.• Newspapers tend to exaggerate their influence on the way people vote.• The Communists vastly exaggerated their own Resistance role in order to attract postwar political support.• In addition, other factors such as endotoxaemia, sepsis, and fever may contribute to further exaggerate these circulatory abnormalities.• It is important not to exaggerate this emphasis.• Hanley didn't exaggerate when he said Geary was the best basketball player the team ever had.Origin exaggerate (1500-1600) Latin past participle of exaggerare “to make into a pile”, from agger “pile” 