hy⋅per⋅bo⋅le /haɪˈpɜrbəli/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [hahy-pur-buh-lee] Show IPA
–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.â€
Origin:
1520–30; < Gk hyperbol excess, exaggeration, throwing beyond, equiv. to hyper- hyper- + bol throw
figure of speech
–noun
Rhetoric. any expressive use of language, as a metaphor, simile, personification, or antithesis, in which words are used in other than their literal sense, or in other than their ordinary locutions, in order to suggest a picture or image or for other special effect. Compare trope (def. 1).
Origin:
1815–25