hy·per·bo·le

[hahy-pur-buh-lee]
noun Rhetoric.
1.
obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2.
an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”
Compare litotes.


Origin:
1520–30; < Greek hyperbolḗ excess, exaggeration, throwing beyond, equivalent to hyper- hyper- + bolḗ throw


2. overstatement.


2. understatement.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
hyperbole (haɪˈpɜːbəlɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a deliberate exaggeration used for effect: he embraced her a thousand times
 
[C16: from Greek: from hyper- + bolē a throw, from ballein to throw]
 
hy'perbolism
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Hyperbole is a GRE word you need to know.
So is proscribe. Does it mean:
To denounce or condemn a thing as dangerous or harmful; prohibit.
to modify or limit in some way; make less strong or positive:
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

hyperbole
1529, from L. hyperbole, from Gk. hyperbole "exaggeration, extravagance," related to hyperballein "to throw over or beyond," from hyper- "beyond" + bole "a throwing, a casting, the stroke of a missile, bolt, beam," from bol-, nom. stem of ballein "to throw" (see
ballistics). Rhetorical sense is found in Aristotle and Isocrates.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
hyperbole [(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.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

hyperbole

a figure of speech that is an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect. Hyperbole is common in love poetry, in which it is used to convey the lover's intense admiration for his beloved. An example is the following passage describing Portia:Why, if two gods should play some heavenlymatchAnd on the wager lay two earthly women,And Portia one, there must be something elsePawned with the other, for the poor rudeworldHath not her fellow.(Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice)

Learn more about hyperbole with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Unfortunately you spew only hyperbole.
The hyperbole is out of proportion with the more mundane reality.
Since sarcasm doesn't have a font, take it that hyperbole is equivalent.
Diluting the meaning of these terms by cranking up the hyperbole serves no one.
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