All Topics  
Hyperbole

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Hyperbole
 
 
  Topics Hyperbole Topic Home

Hyperbole ( hye-PER-buh-lee; "HYE-per-bowl" is a common mispronunciation) comes from ancient Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 "?pe?ß???" (meaning excess or exaggeration) and is a figure of speech
Figure of speech

A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetoric, or locution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. Figures of speech are often used and crafted for emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity....
 in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is rarely meant to be taken literally.

Hyperbole is used to create emphasis. It is a literary device often used in poetry
Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature art in which language is used for its aesthetics and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning ....
, and is frequently encountered in casual speech.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Hyperbole'
Start a new discussion about 'Hyperbole'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Hyperbole ( hye-PER-buh-lee; "HYE-per-bowl" is a common mispronunciation) comes from ancient Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 "?pe?ß???" (meaning excess or exaggeration) and is a figure of speech
Figure of speech

A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetoric, or locution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. Figures of speech are often used and crafted for emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity....
 in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is rarely meant to be taken literally.

Hyperbole is used to create emphasis. It is a literary device often used in poetry
Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature art in which language is used for its aesthetics and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning ....
, and is frequently encountered in casual speech. It is also a visual technique in which a deliberate exaggeration of a particular part of an image is employed. An example is the exaggeration of a person's facial feature in a political cartoon.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
  (literally 'overshooting' or 'excess'), it is a cognate
Cognate

Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
 of hyperbola
Hyperbola

In mathematics a hyperbola is a smooth function planar curve having two connected components or branches, each a mirror image of the other and resembling two infinite bow aimed at each other....
. Antonym
Antonym

In lexical semantics, opposites are words that lie in an inherently incompatible binary relationship as in the opposite pairs male : female, long : short, up : down, and precede : follow....
s to hyperbole include meiosis
Meiosis (figure of speech)

In rhetoric, meiosis is a euphemism figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size than it really is....
, litotes
Litotes

In rhetoric, litotes is a figure of speech in which, rather than making a certain statement directly, a speaker expresses it even more effectively, or achieves emphasis, by denying its opposite....
, understatement
Understatement

Understatement is a form of speech in which a lesser expression is used than what would be expected. This is not to be confused with euphemism, where a polite phrase is used in place of a harsher or more offensive expression....
, and bathos
Bathos

Bathos is from the Greek language wikt:?????, meaning depth. As used in English language it originally referred to a particular type of bad poetry, but it is now used more broadly to cover any ridiculous artwork or performance....
 (the 'let down' after a hyperbole in a phrase).

Examples

Some examples of use of hyperbole include:
  • These books weigh a ton. (These books are heavy.)
  • I could sleep for a year. (I could sleep for a long time.)
  • The path went on forever. (the path was really long.)
  • He beat him into a pulp. (He beat him up very harshly.)
  • He must have jumped a mile. (He jumped very high into the air.)
  • I'm doing like 15 trillion people right now. (I'm busy.)
  • Boston State-House is the hub of the solar system. (Boston State-House is an important place.)
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., was an American physician and professor who also achieved fame as a writer. During his lifetime, he was one of the best regarded poets of the 19th century and is considered a member of the Fireside Poets....
, "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table," Ch. 6
  • "Ladies and gentlemen, I've been to Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and I can say without hyperbole that this is a million times worse than all of them put together." This uses hyperbole to illustrate the use of hyperbole.
  • He was so big he used a tree trunk for a toothpick. (He is a huge person.)
  • This coffee tastes like an old man has been heated to render out the earwax. (This coffee tastes horrible.)
A common source of unwitting humour is when hyperbole is preceded by the word "literally":
  • "I was literally bullied at work in several different ways. I was forced to literally work with both hands tied behind my back. If I wanted time off I literally had to fight for it."


External links