hyperbole
American Heritage Dictionary:
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hy·per·bo·le
(hī-pûr'bə-lē) 
n.
A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton.
n.
A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton.
[Latin hyperbolē, from Greek huperbolē, excess, from huperballein, to exceed : huper, beyond; see hyper- + ballein, to throw.]
Fowler's Modern English Usage:
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hyperbole
pronounced hiy-per-bǝ-li, is a figure of speech involving an exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally, e.g. a thousand apologies. It should not be confused with hyperbola, pronounced hiy-per-bǝ-lǝ, a term in geometry.
| hyper-, hypo-, hygiene, hygienic, hyena | |
| hypercorrection, hyphen, hyphen, hyphenate, verbs. |
Roget's Thesaurus:
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hyperbole
noun
- The act or an instance of exaggerating: exaggeration, hyperbolism, overstatement, tall talk. See increase/decrease.
Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms:
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hyperbole
hyperbole
His legs bestrid the ocean: his reared arm
Crested the world.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
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hyperbole
hyperbole (hīpûr'bəlē), a figure of speech in which exceptional exaggeration is deliberately used for emphasis rather than deception. Andrew Marvell employed hyperbole throughout "To His Coy Mistress":
An hundred years should go to praiseThine eyes and on thy forehead gaze;Two hundred to adore each breast;But thirty thousand to the rest …
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(heye-pur-buh-lee)
An exaggerated, extravagant expression. It is hyperbole to say, “I'd give my whole fortune for a bowl of bean soup.”
Poetry Glossary:
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Hyperbole
A bold, deliberate overstatement, e.g., "I'd give my right arm for a piece of pizza." Not intended to be taken literally, it is used as a means of emphasizing the truth of a statement.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'hyperbole'
- Devices, Techniques, and Elements - hyperbole: extravagant exaggeration for effect
- Rhetoric and Figures of Speech - hyperbole: extravagant exaggeration for comic or colorful effect or emphasis
- Falsehood, Pretense, and Exaggeration - hyperbole: extreme exaggeration for effect
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Hyperbole
This article is about the term used in rhetoric. For the mathematical term, see Hyperbola.
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Look up hyperbole in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Hyperbole (
/haɪˈpɜrbəliː/ hy-PUR-bə-lee;[1] Greek: ὑπερβολή, 'exaggeration') is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally.[2]
Hyperboles are exaggerations to create emphasis or effect. As a literary device, hyperbole is often used in poetry, and is frequently encountered in casual speech. An example of hyperbole is: "The bag weighed a ton."[3] Hyperbole helps to make the point that the bag was very heavy, although it is not probable that it would actually weigh a ton.
In rhetoric, some other opposites of hyperbole are meiosis, litotes, understatement and bathos (the 'letdown' after a hyperbole in a phrase).
External links
References
- ^ "Hyperbole". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/hyperbole. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ "Hyperbole". Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hyperbole. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ Mahony, David (2003). Literacy Tests Year 7. Pascal Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-877085-36-9.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Hyperbole
Dansk (Danish)
n. - overdrivelse, hyperbol, bevidst overdrivelse
Nederlands (Dutch)
literaire overdrijving
Français (French)
n. - hyperbole
Deutsch (German)
n. - Hyperbel, Übertreibung
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ρητορικό) σχήμα καθ' υπερβολήν
Português (Portuguese)
n. - hipérbole (f) (Mat.)
Русский (Russian)
преувеличение
Español (Spanish)
n. - hipérbole
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hyperbol, överdrift
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
夸张法
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 誇張法
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) غلو, إغراق
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - אמירה מוגזמת שאין לקבלה כלשונה
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Copyright © Chris Baldick 2001, 2004. All rights reserved.
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Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Grammar
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and
James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
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Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
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Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Hyperbole.
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