Hyperbole

Pronunciation

• IPA: /haɪˈpɜːbÉ™li/
• Homophones: hyperbolae

Origin

From Latin hyperbolē, from Ancient Greek ὑπερβολή (huperbolē, "excess, exaggeration"), from ὑπέρ (huper, "above") + βάλλω (ballō, "I throw").

Full definition of hyperbole

Noun

1. (uncountable) Extreme exaggeration or overstatement; especially as a literary or rhetorical device.
2. (uncountable) Deliberate exaggeration.
3. (countable) An instance or example of this technique.
4. (countable, obsolete) A hyperbola.

Synonyms

• overstatement
• exaggeration

Antonyms

• meiosis
• understatement

Derived terms

• hyperbolic

Related terms

• hyperbola