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🤥 To exaggerate 🎈 To fill with air 💹 To raise value 💾 To decompress
to inflate

to inflate

47 4.2
To make something seem more important or bigger than it really is
  • verb
  • /ɪnˈfleɪt/
translation icon : exagerar
  • He tends to inflate his achievements to impress his friends.
  • artificially inflate
  • inflated ego
  • inflated expectations

And the cable Nets want to inflate their ratings.

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Examples

  • "Is your ego so inflated that you can't imagine I might not need them?"

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The prerogatives that accompany leadership may also inflate self-importance and self-confidence.

    Academic text (2017)

  • And how different we would be as young adults and adults because men seem to over inflate their own importance.

    Lauren Curtis

  • Never allow success to inflate your ego or defeat to crush your spirit.

    Bedros Keuilian

  • Many of these activities were based largely on inflated expectations of future asset prices and income growth.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Official rhetoric is at least partly to blame for inflated public fears about Chinese power.

    Academic text (2011)

  • I'm tired of the inflated welfare rolls while good wholesome Americans bring less and less of their paycheck home "every two weeks."

    Bamboozled (2000)

  • The statistics peddled by these lobbyists are grossly inflated and intentionally misleading.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The company tried to inflate the significance of their product in the advertisement.

  • Many politicians inflate their role in passing legislation to gain public favor.

Synonyms

to exaggerate
vsto inflate
258 3.1

To say something is larger, better, or worse than it really is

focuses specifically on raising importance or impressiveness
to overstate
vsto inflate
70 4.2

Say something is bigger or more important than it really is

focuses on making things seem impressive rather than only larger or better
to hype
vsto inflate
53 4.4

To promote something with exaggerated, flashy advertising to get attention

focuses on raising perceived importance beyond mere publicity
to magnify
vsto inflate
34 4.6

To make something seem more important or serious than it really is

focuses on impressiveness and value rather than only seriousness
to expand
vsto inflate
20 3.4

To make something seem larger or more important than it is

is focused on impressiveness and value rather than mere size
to pad
vsto inflate
19 6.5

To add extra, unnecessary details to make something seem bigger or better

uses overall importance increase rather than padding details to impress
to dramatize
vsto inflate
15 4.2

To make something seem more exciting or important than it really is

adds impressiveness through drama rather than general importance
to overplay
vsto inflate
13 4.6

Make something seem more important or serious than it really is

often aims to impress rather than simply stress one detail
to talk up
vsto inflate
13 4.1

To say that something is better or more important than it really is

is broader, not limited to spoken promotion but to perceived significance
to sensationalize
vsto inflate
  • Literature
12 6.8

To make stories seem more exciting than they are

focuses on impressiveness beyond sensational news tactics
to glamorize
vsto inflate
  • US
12 5.8

To make someone or something look more attractive and exciting than they really are

focuses on impressiveness via attractiveness rather than raw importance
to amplify
vsto inflate
9 5.6

To make something seem bigger or more important than it really is

usually highlights impressiveness rather than neutral enlargement
to play up
vsto inflate
9 4.3

Make something seem more important or impressive than it is

is aimed at boosting overall impressiveness rather than simple emphasis
to overemphasize
vsto inflate
8 5.5

Treat something as more important than it should be

focuses on making things seem important to increase impressiveness
to oversell
vsto inflate
7 4.9

Make something seem better than it really is

is broader, not only publicity but overall perceived importance
to aggrandize
vsto inflate
  • Formal
5 9.5

To make something seem more important by adding details or exaggerating

is about raising general importance rather than adding supporting detail
to stretch the truth
vsto inflate
  • Informal
5 5.3

To make a story seem better than it really is

works by altering facts rather than only boosting image or value
to blow up
vsto inflate
4 3.7

To make something seem more important or bigger than it is

often implies turning small issues into large problems rather than steady impressiveness
to overhype
vsto inflate
4 5.8

Praise something more than it really deserves

often used for general emphasis rather than promotional buzz
to mythologize
vsto inflate
3 7.7

To say something was a legend or better than it really was by ignoring faults

increases impressiveness through legend or idealization rather than factual merit
to make a mountain out of a molehill
vsto inflate
  • Informal
3 6.4

Treat a small problem as if it were very serious

does wider importance inflation rather than only magnifying minor faults
to overdramatize
vsto inflate
3 6.6

Describe something as more serious or emotional than it really is

goes for broad impressiveness instead of dramatic intensity
to make a big thing out of
vsto inflate
  • Informal
2 5.8

Treat something as more important or serious than it is

aims to increase perceived importance across contexts beyond single complaint
to overinflate
vsto inflate
1 5.1

Make something seem much bigger or more important than it is

is the standard term without extra emphasis
to overblow
vsto inflate
1 5.9

To make something seem more important or serious than it is

tends to stress seriousness more than general impressiveness
to make a meal of
vsto inflate
  • Informal
1 8.3

Act as if something is much more difficult or important than it is

emphasizes overall impressiveness rather than task complexity
to overexaggerate
vsto inflate
1 5.4

To make something seem much worse or bigger than it is

is used more generally to increase importance without extreme padding
to hyperbolize
vsto inflate
  • US
1 7.9

To make something seem much bigger or more important than it really is

aims specifically to increase perceived importance and impressiveness
to glamourize
vsto inflate
  • UK
1 6.3

Make something seem more attractive than it really is

uses attractiveness to imply higher importance rather than factual value
to overdraw
vsto inflate
6.6

Describe something as more important or impressive than it really is

often targets dramatic effect rather than steady importance
to overtell
vsto inflate
7.1

To make a story sound more exciting or important than it really is

is concerned with general importance rather than just narrational flourish
to mythify
vsto inflate
8.9

To make someone seem like a hero by praising them too much

raises perceived importance by making legendary rather than stating facts

Antonyms

to understate
18 5.2

To make something seem smaller or less important than it really is

How Exaggerated

to aggrandize
  • Formal
5 9.5
to exaggerate
258 3.1
to inflate
47 4.2
to play up
9 4.3
to embellish
19 6.1

Surface Forms

inflate infinitive
inflated past
inflated past participle
inflating present participle
inflates third person singular

Morphology

inflate = flate (semi-transparent) = in + flate

This sense is a metaphorical extension of 'to swell out/puff up' to mean 'to exaggerate', so the morphological signal helps but does not give a literal meaning.

Etymology

Inflate comes from the Latin parts in- 'into' and flare 'to blow', and a helpful image is someone blowing a small fact up like a balloon. That's why to inflate a story or claim is to make it seem bigger or more important than it really is.