Word of the day · 24 April 2026
hyperbole
/haɪˈpɜːbəli/
noun
Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, not meant as literal fact.
In a sentence
- Saying the bag weighed a ton was hyperbole for a heavy load.
- Sports talk thrives on hyperbole after a single good play.
- Editors cut hyperbole from the weather warning to keep it clear.
In an image
Origin
From Greek hyperbolē (excess, overshooting), from hyperballein (to throw beyond).
History
Orators and poets treated hyperbole as a tool, not a mistake. Everyday speech uses it constantly (“I waited forever”). The danger is readers who take the stretch as data. Students look it up beside metaphor and irony in literature class.
Nearby words
exaggeration · overstatement · embellishment
Stretching the truth on purpose so the point lands harder.