Note: The translation for this entry is currently under quality review. Some content is temporarily displayed in English only.
hyperbole
This term describes a deliberate overstatement used for emphasis or rhetorical effect. It is often employed in casual conversation to convey intensity or emotion, such as saying one is dying of laughter, where the speaker intends to highlight the degree of amusement rather than state a medical fact.
While often used in everyday speech, it is a formal rhetorical device in literature and oratory. It differs from a lie in that the speaker does not intend to deceive the listener into believing the literal truth, but rather uses the exaggeration to make a point more vivid or dramatic.
Meanings
Examples
That is a hyperbole.
Stop using hyperbole.
Hyperbole is common.
Historians often distinguish fact from rhetorical hyperbole.