🎭 To exaggerate 🔁 To repeat too much

to overtell

7.1

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

verb
/oʊvərˈtɛl/

: exagerar

The author was criticized for overtelling minor incidents in his autobiography.

Examples

He tends to overtell his travel stories, making every trip sound like an epic adventure.
He always overtells his fishing tales.
When recounting the event, she would overtell the details to impress her friends.
Don't overtell the story!
He tends to overtell his travel stories, making every trip sound like an epic adventure.
When recounting the event, she would overtell the details to impress her friends.
He always overtells his fishing adventures, adding dramatic flair to each catch.

Synonyms

to exaggerate

vsto overtell

258 3.1

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

focuses specifically on making a story or event seem more dramatic

to overstate

vsto overtell

70 4.2

Say something is bigger or more important than it really is

is the same exaggeration but focused on making events seem dramatic

to inflate

vsto overtell

47 4.2

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

is narrower, focusing on boosting a story's drama and perceived importance

to magnify

vsto overtell

34 4.6

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

targets making a story or event appear more dramatic rather than general importance

to expand

vsto overtell

20 3.4

To make something seem larger or more important than it is

focuses that enlargement specifically on a story's dramatic quality

to dramatize

vsto overtell

15 4.2

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

is about enhancing a story's importance rather than only theatrical presentation

to overplay

vsto overtell

13 4.6

Make something seem more important or serious than it really is

applies that emphasis specifically to storytelling and dramatic detail

to sensationalize

vsto overtell

Literature

12 6.8

To make stories seem more exciting than they are

is similar but emphasizes adding drama to a single story or event

to amplify

vsto overtell

9 5.6

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

focuses that increase specifically on dramatic storytelling impact

to play up

vsto overtell

9 4.3

Make something seem more important or impressive than it is

is narrower, used to make a story feel more dramatic rather than just noticeable

to oversell

vsto overtell

7 4.9

Make something seem better than it really is

instead aims to make a story seem more dramatic, not just more sellable

to aggrandize

vsto overtell

Formal

5 9.5

To make something seem more important by adding details or exaggerating

is about enlarging a story's drama rather than general importance

to stretch the truth

vsto overtell

Informal

5 5.3

To make a story seem better than it really is

focuses more on adding dramatic detail to a story than on plausibility

to fictionalize

vsto overtell

5 6.5

Tell real events or people as made-up stories by changing details

instead keeps the base event but enlarges its drama through embellishment

to blow up

vsto overtell

4 3.7

To make something seem more important or bigger than it is

does the same but specifically by adding dramatic story detail

to mythologize

vsto overtell

3 7.7

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

is more about adding drama to a single story than creating a legend

to embroider

vsto overtell

3 5.5

To add extra details to a story that often make it less true

is about making stories seem more important or dramatic rather than just entertaining

to overdramatize

vsto overtell

3 6.6

Describe something as more serious or emotional than it really is

adds dramatic story detail but is less about general seriousness and more about embellishment

to spin a yarn

vsto overtell

Informal

1 6.8

To tell a long made-up or exaggerated story

is similar but stresses making a real event seem more dramatic rather than inventing it

to overinflate

vsto overtell

1 5.1

Make something seem much bigger or more important than it is

is about enlarging a story's drama rather than inflating value alone

to overblow

vsto overtell

1 5.9

To make something seem more important or serious than it is

often applied to stories to add drama rather than to general claims

to spin a story

vsto overtell

1 4.8

Make up and tell a tale, often to entertain or avoid trouble

is more about embellishing an actual event to increase drama rather than pure invention

to overexaggerate

vsto overtell

1 5.4

To make something seem much worse or bigger than it is

is similar but centers on adding dramatic or storylike detail rather than general excess

to hyperbolize

vsto overtell

1 7.9

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

is similar but used when the goal is to embellish a narrative

to yarn

vsto overtell

Informal

1 6.7

To tell a long story that is probably not true

focuses on making real events seem more dramatic rather than telling implausible tales

to melodramatize

vsto overtell

7.7

To make something seem more emotional and dramatic than it is

keeps the focus on making the story seem more important rather than theatrical sentiment

to hoke up

vsto overtell

Informal

9.9

To invent a story or excuse that is not true

instead embellishes or enlarges an actual story to increase drama rather than pure invention

to give a line

vsto overtell

Informal

8.0

To tell someone a false story to impress or trick them

is closer to adding dramatic detail to a real event, not only deception

to pull the long bow

vsto overtell

Archaic

9.1

To tell a story in a way that makes what happened sound bigger or not true

focuses on enlarging importance or drama rather than outright lying

to overdraw

vsto overtell

6.6

Describe something as more important or impressive than it really is

is used specifically to embellish stories or events with extra drama

Antonyms

to minimize

117 3.7

Make something as small as possible to reduce its effect

to understate

18 5.2

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

How Dramatic

to fabricate

50 7.3

to overtell

7.1

to embellish

19 6.1

to recount

83 4.1

to retell

11 2.8

Surface Forms

overtell infinitive

overtelling present participle

overtells third person singular

overtold past

overtold past participle

Morphology

overtell = tell (transparent) = over + tell

The prefix 'over-' clearly indicates an excess or exaggeration of the action 'tell'.

Etymology

Overtell comes from the parts over- meaning 'too much' and tell meaning 'say'. Picture someone adding extra paint to a story to make it more dramatic. So, to overtell is to make a story sound bigger or more exciting than it really was.