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DEFINITION
DEFINITION
Kyle DeGuzman explains the term as follows: “Hyperbole is a literary device used to draw emphasis through extreme exaggeration. Hyperbole is not meant to be taken literally, but rather understood as a means of communicating something specific. Those who hear or read the hyperbole should understand that it is an exaggeration” (DeGuzman).
Encyclopaedia Britannica describes hyperbole simply as “an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect” (“Britannica”).
We don’t find hyperbole only in writing. On the contrary, this literary device is quite common in spoken language and it’s something probably most of us use on a regular basis to emphasize our feelings and experiences.
EXAMPLES
EXAMPLES
There are many common phrases that we might all, to some extent, use in our everyday communication. Below are some of the most common examples.
I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse.
I’ve heard this song a thousand times.
I’ve told you a hundred times!
I’m dying of starvation, when’s dinner?
I haven’t seen her in ages.
What is also worth mentioning is the oddness of the pronunciation of the sole term. The right pronunciation of “hyperbole” is as follows:
UK /haɪˈpɜː.bəl.i/ US /haɪˈpɝː.bəl.i/
Link for audio version (“Pronunciation”).
Works Cited
“Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 26 Sept. 2023, www.britannica.com/art/hyperbole. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.
DeGuzman, Kyle, et al. “The Secret to Using Hyperbole in Screenwriting.” StudioBinder, 10 Aug. 2023, www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-hyperbole-definition-examples/. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.
“Pronunciation.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/audio?file=hyperb05&format=mp3&word=hyperbole&pron=ha%C9%AA%CB%88p%C9%9Ab%C9%99li. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.
Editor of the post: Jan Kašpařík
Last edited: 5 Oct 2023
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