10 Terms For Exaggerating Words Such As “Always” And “Never”

Often, in both speech and writing, we will use words such as “always”, “never” or “constantly”. While we generally use these terms to emphasize a point, they can occasionally come across as exaggeratory. This begs the question; what do we call exaggeratory terms such as “always” or “never”?

What Are Exaggerating Words Such As “Always” And “Never” Called?

There are select terms that adequately describe exaggerating words such as “always” and “never”. However, for the purposes of this article, we will be going over the following ten terms:

• Hyperbole
• Absolutes
• Extremes
• Exaggeration
• Overstatement
• Amplification
• Excessive
• Embellishment
• Enhance
• Enrichment

The preferred version which we are going to be highlighting is “hyperbole”. This is due to the fact that the term “hyperbole” most accurately describes terms that are considered to be exaggerations, such as “always”, “constantly”, “forever” or “never”.

Hyperbole

We can consider the use of “hyperbole” to often be assumed as an over-exaggeration. Cambridge Dictionary defines “hyperbole” as a way of speaking or writing that makes someone or something sound bigger, better, more, etc. than they are.

Because of this, the use of terms like “fascinating” or “always” can also be considered “hyperbole”.

We will now go over the following examples, that show the use of this term:

• The blurb on the back of the DVD cover was filled with the typical hyperbole like astonishing and enchanting.
• An example of a hyperbole phrase would be something like, I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.
• To make your motivational speech more convincing, you could try adding in some hyperboles.

Absolutes

The next alternative term that we will be going over is “absolutes”. Cambridge Dictionary defines “absolutes” as certain or not to be doubted. In terms of language, “absolutes” are considered words that are complete, all-encompassing and end themselves. You will use these words when you believe something is unchangeable.

Both the terms “always” and “never” are considered examples of “absolutes”, as well as terms like, “all”, “none”, “every” and “must”.

Here are a few examples, that highlight the specific use of this term:

• Absolutes should only be used in cases where we believe the word can’t be factually modified or proven wrong.
• Absolutes are words that are very versatile and can be nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, determiners and verbs.
• Today we will be learning about the use of absolutes, which are words that are considered total or cannot be compared.

Extremes

We can use the term “extremes” very similar to the previous term, “absolutes”. However, the main difference is that “extremes” can often be untrue or overblown in a way that ruins the credibility or believability of what has been said or written.

We can see that Cambridge Dictionary defines “extreme” as very great; beyond what is usual or might be expected. This contributes to the reasoning behind “extremes” being used, as somewhat frowned upon.

We can now look over these various examples, that include the use of this term:

• We should consider words like absolutely, completely or totally to be extremes.
• You should only use extremes in speech or writing when you feel they are necessary.
• There is nothing wrong with the use of extremes, as long as it is done appropriately and sparingly.

Exaggeration

We can consider an “exaggeration” to be another applicable alternate term. Cambridge Dictionary defines an “exaggeration” as the fact of making something seem larger, more important, better, or worse than it really is. Therefore, terms used to make something seem better or worse than they are, are considered “exaggerations”.

Often, an “exaggeration” comes across as a way of dramatizing a statement or sentence, perhaps to receive additional attention.

For additional information on how to use this term, here are a few examples:

• She said that people always say she throws the best parties, which I feel is a large exaggeration of the truth.
• He was prone to over exaggerations, saying things like he never listened to his parents or their rules.
• He told us that he caught over twenty fish in less than an hour, which everyone thought was a huge exaggeration.

Overstatement

Exaggeratory terms like “always” or “never” are the main factors in what is called an “overstatement”. Cambridge Dictionary defines the term “overstatement” as the act of describing or explaining something in a way that makes it seem more important or more serious than it really is.

Because of this, we can use the term “overstatement” to describe a situation where something has been described using terms like “always” or “never”, which created a lack of belief.

Here are a few examples that we can go over:

• It would be an overstatement to say that she always wins the races.
• He made an overstatement by saying that he’s the best fisherman that ever existed.
• My sister loves to make overstatements about her physical appearance, claiming she is the most beautiful woman to grace the earth.

Amplification

Another great alternative term that we can choose to utilize is “amplification”. The term “amplification” is defined as the action of enlarging upon or adding detail to a statement, opinion or story. Therefore, “amplifications” are considered to be terms added to a sentence, for the purpose of increasing the message.

Cambridge Dictionary defines the term “amplification” as being added detail. This can often come across as overdramatized or a lie.

For clarity on how to use this term, we can go over the following examples:

• She uses certain words in her stories to act as amplification, but they just make everything she says so unbelievable.
• He meant for his amplifications to add to his point, however, they had the opposite effect.
• You can use amplifications to be convincing, but make sure you are using them appropriately.

Excessive

Another term that we can use to describe the use of terms like “always” and “never” is excessive. Cambridge Dictionary defines the term “excessive” as too much or too many. Therefore, exaggerating terms like “always” and “never” are often considered to be “excessive”.

This is especially true when it comes to the improper use of certain terms – they instantly become categorized as “excessive”.

We will now look over some examples that use this particular term:

• I did not appreciate your use of excessive terms like constantly, infinitely, and forever. I found that they added nothing to your writing and created doubt in my mind.
• Both the amount she spoke and the particular terms that were utilized were excessive, which greatly took away from the purpose of her speech.
• The use of excessive terms causes an audience to become skeptical over any facts or claims.

Embellishment

We can consider the term “embellishment” to accurately describe words like “never” or “always”. This is because Cambridge Dictionary defines the term “embellishment” as something added to make another thing more beautiful or interesting, or the process of doing this.

“Embellishments” are not generally considered to be inappropriate or too much, as long as they are used correctly and only when necessary. When it comes to terms used for “embellishment”, they can aid in grasping and audiences’ auditory attention.

Some examples that we can go over, that appropriately use this term are:

• I appreciated your use of certain terms for embellishment, just ensure to not overuse them in the future.
• You can use words as an embellishment to your opinion, however, do so sparingly as to not taint your message with doubt or skepticism.
• He loves to use the term “always” for embellishment, which is fine, but I told him he needs to try an applicable synonym in place for next time.

Enhance

Another appropriate term we can use is “enhance”. Cambridge Dictionary defines “enhance” as to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something. Therefore, we will often use certain terms to “enhance” our point or message. This should be done properly, as to not ruin one’s point.

If we choose to “enhance” our work or speech with words like “forever” or “never”, we have to ensure they are used adequately. Otherwise, they come across as redundant or highly unnecessary.

The following examples show how we can appropriately use this term:

• I know you like to enhance your essays with words like constantly, infinitely, etc., but these terms often take away from your excellent writing skills.
• It’s okay to enhance your speech with certain words, but try not to overuse them.
• You should try to enhance your point with words that convey legitimacy.

Enrichment

The final term that we will be going over in this article is “enrichment”. Cambridge Dictionary defines “enrichment” as the act or process of improving the quality or power of something by adding something else. Therefore, adding certain terms to our speech or writing can be considered “enrichment”.

We can improve the quality of our opinions, speech, writing, etc., by adding terms for enrichment. However, these terms should be used scarcely, as to not take away from the factualness.

We will now go over our final examples for this article, that highlight the use of our final term:

• I see that you chose to add words like always and forever for enrichment, but I have to tell you, it comes off as very juvenile.
• You should consider adding certain words into your writing for the purposes of enrichment or embellishment.
• You’ve entirely missed the mark on enrichment by adding far too many terms. Now, your speech sounds utterly unconvincing and overwhelmingly dramatic.