Hyperbole - Definition and Overview

Hype! is also the name of a documentary film about grunge music.

See also hyperbola, parabola, ellipse, parable, ellipsis.

A hyperbole, largely synonymous with exaggeration and overstatement, is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated or extravagant. It implies strong feelings or is used to create a strong impression and is not meant to be taken literally.

Examples:

• "He is as big as a house!"
• "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"
• "That's the worst idea in the world."

The opposite is an understatement, e.g. "Hitler was not a nice person."

In show business, hyperbole (known as hype or media hype) is the practice of spending money on public relations in an attempt to bolster public interest in (for example) a movie, television show, or performing artist. Often the entertainment value of the thing being hyped is exaggerated.

See also

• Irony
• Litotes
• Movie marketing
• Quote whore
• Technology hype
• Zillion

External link

• A Glossary of Rhetorical Terms with Examples (http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/rhetoric.html)