as in to exaggerate
disapproving
to describe or show something in a way that makes it seem more shocking than it really is
Journalists should report the news accurately without trying to sensationalize it.
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Recent Examples of sensationalize
Without social media, television or telephones of any kind, Willig illustrates how this trial became sensationalized and angry crowds swayed public opinion — the 19th-century version of canceling.
—
Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Some conservative groups in South Africa have misrepresented facts about farm murders, sensationalizing them by fixating on exceptionally violent cases and promoting the idea that all farm murders are politically and racially motivated.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
Burnett’s early films have been credited for their honest rendering of Black working-class life in Los Angeles, a milieu rarely shown, or at best sensationalized, by Hollywood.
—Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
But the Labor Department itself responded to the report at the time that the claims were these same pseudo records, and that mischaracterizing them risked sensationalizing the aid program.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sensationalize
Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Some conservative groups in South Africa have misrepresented facts about farm murders, sensationalizing them by fixating on exceptionally violent cases and promoting the idea that all farm murders are politically and racially motivated.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
Burnett’s early films have been credited for their honest rendering of Black working-class life in Los Angeles, a milieu rarely shown, or at best sensationalized, by Hollywood.
—Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
But the Labor Department itself responded to the report at the time that the claims were these same pseudo records, and that mischaracterizing them risked sensationalizing the aid program.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sensationalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensationalize
exaggerate
Verb
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Dissenting Justice Sonia Sotomayor did not exaggerate the consequences of the court’s 6-3 decision.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 July 2025
-
Critics say the deal undervalued the golf course and exaggerated the benefits.—
Sarah Lapidus,
AZCentral.com,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sensationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensationalize. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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