Hyperbole | English Vocabulary


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Hyperbole is a noun meaning something written or spoken that makes something sound much more important, impressive, more urgent, more dangerous, etc. than it really is.

If I say I’m the most talented guitar player to ever live, that is hyperbole.

The adjective form of hyperbole is hyperbolic.

Although hyperbole can simply refer to any instance of gross exaggeration, in literature or creative works it is often a figure of speech or a literary device used to express humor or great emotion.

A good way to think of hyperbole is as extravagant exaggeration.

We use hyperbole all the time in English without even thinking about it and, in fact, without other people even noticing it. Hyperbole is a feature of idiomatic and colloquial language.

Everyday Hyperbole Examples

“I can’t afford a bazillion dollars for a new car. I’m on a tight budget.”

“This box weighs a ton!”

“I don’t want to drive all that way. It’s like a million miles.”

“This is literally the worst day of my life.”

Hyperbole is a part of what we call a ‘fish story‘ in English. This is when someone claims to have caught a fish that was much larger than it really was: “That fish weight as much as I do, I tell ya.”

A fish story doesn’t have to be about a fish. It has become an idiom that refers to any such hyperbolic story.

Note on Pronunciation

The prefix hyper means above, beyond, or super. Hyperbole is pronounced differently than many other hyper words in English.

Normally, the stress is on the first syllable or the third syllable, as in HYPerlink hyperVENtilate, and hyperTENsion.

Here, the stress falls on the second syllable, per: hyPERbole.

Also, you’ll notice that while b-o-l-e seems like it should be pronounced like the word bowl, it is pronounced bolay. This pronunciation is similar to the original Greek word which influenced the Latin word from which we derive the term.

Amazingly, there was an Athenian politician named Hperbolus during the 5th century B.C. He was extremely prone to hyperbole and was constantly stoking the passions of the crowds he spoke to…can you believe he actually had nothing to do with the history of this word?

Examples of How to Use Hyperbole in a Sentence

“I always thought the hype about the genius of Steve Jobs was hyperbole. I’ve seen nothing to convince me otherwise.”

“If we don’t stop them now, they will destroy our democracy. This isn’t mere hyperbole. This is a clear and present danger.” “They claimed that their ads were simple hyperbole and that no reasonable person would think that the claims were true. However, the FTC didn’t buy this argument and made the company pay a huge fine and stop making the misleading and untrue claims.”

“Some of the best jokes are based on hyperbole.”

“The network is defending itself by saying that everybody knows that they rely on hyperbole to entertain their audience.”

“One of my pet peeves is the oft-used hyperbolic statement, ‘it’ll change your life.'”

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