hipérbole
/iˈpeɾbole/feminine
The English word 'hyperbole' is translated into Spanish as hipérbole.
hipérbole is the direct translation for the rhetorical device. In everyday speech, if you want to describe the act of using hyperbole, the verb exagerar (to exaggerate) is more commonly used.
Meaning: rhetorical device (noun)
Which one should you use?
hipérbole and exageración are both formal alternatives used to express the concept of hyperbole. While hipérbole specifically refers to the rhetorical device, exageración means 'exaggeration'. For an informal way to describe an extreme level of exaggeration, you can use the phrase exageración a lo bestia.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun hipérbole is feminine and is used with the feminine article la, as in la hipérbole.
How do you pronounce it?
/iˈpeɾbole/
Did you know?
- The word hipérbole is a doublet of hipérbola, the mathematical term for a type of curve. Both words share the same Greek root meaning 'to throw beyond'.
- Spanish has several idioms that function as built-in hyperboles, such as me muero de hambre, which literally means 'I am dying of hunger'.
- The phrase exageración a lo bestia uses 'bestia' (beast) to intensify the sense of exaggeration, similar to saying 'like a beast' in English.
Examples in context
- El discurso del político estuvo lleno de hipérboles para enfatizar sus logrosThe politician's speech was full of hyperbole to emphasize his achievements
- El escritor utilizó una exageración para ilustrar la gravedad del problemaThe writer used an exaggeration to illustrate the seriousness of the issue
- Ese chiste es una exageración a lo bestia, ¡nadie podría creérselo!That joke is a hyperbole on steroids – no one could believe it!
- La desmesura de sus afirmaciones le resta credibilidadThe exaggeration in his statements undermines his credibility
- Esa frase es una hipérbole.That phrase is a hyperbole.
- No uses la hipérbole en tu ensayo.Don't use hyperbole in your essay.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are studying literature together.
- Mateo¿Qué es esta figura retórica?What is this rhetorical device?
- LucíaCreo que es una hipérbole, Mateo.I think it is a hyperbole, Mateo.
- MateoTienes razón, es una exageración.You are right, it is an exaggeration.
- LucíaSí, así funciona la hipérbole.Yes, that is how hyperbole works.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hyperbole” translations and entries hipérbole, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hipérbole, CC BY-SA 4.0.
