to say or believe that (something) is greater, better, more important, etc than it is
A friend exaggerates a man's virtues — Joseph Addison
to make (a feature or characteristic) seem greater or more pronounced than normal
to make an overstatement
exaggeratedly adv
exaggeration /-ʹraysh(ə)n/ noun
exaggerative /-rətiv/ adj
exaggerator noun
Latin exaggeratus, past part. of exaggerare to heap up, from ex-1 + agger heap, from aggerere to carry towards. The word originally meant ‘to heap up or accumulate’, later ‘to emphasize praise or blame’, hence ‘to overstate’