as in exaggerating
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 sensationalizing
For Johnson, police have to balance not sensationalizing these teen takeovers, while also not writing them off as kids being kids.
—
Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
In addition to recentering the story, the new show shies away from violence on screen, so as to avoid sensationalizing Gacy.
—Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
Notoriety trailed Woodhull through her life, but, rather than sensationalizing her scandals, Collinsworth highlights Woodhull’s flair for reinvention, and her drive to set the terms by which she would be remembered.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
In addition to recentering the story, the new show shies away from violence on screen, so as to avoid sensationalizing Gacy.
—Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
Notoriety trailed Woodhull through her life, but, rather than sensationalizing her scandals, Collinsworth highlights Woodhull’s flair for reinvention, and her drive to set the terms by which she would be remembered.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensationalizing
Verb
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Apple just settled a class-action lawsuit for exaggerating the AI capabilities of its newest iPhones.—
Vitaliy Katsenelson,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
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The league decided to introduce postgame flop fines in the 2012-13 season where plays were reviewed after games and those individuals were fined for exaggerating contact.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Breadon, the Council president, said after a second recess that Mejia had requested that a vote be skipped, without elaborating.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
13 May 2026
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Zaldy Co, who resigned from the House of Representatives in September after being implicated in financial anomalies involving flood control projects, was detained by authorities in Prague after crossing into the Central European country without proper documentation, Marcos said without elaborating.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Paternalistic tactics, such as overemphasizing IUDs and implants, undermined young people’s reproductive health preferences and goals.—
Riley J. Steiner,
STAT,
20 Apr. 2026
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Still, overemphasizing national trend lines fails to acknowledge how new converts can change a community.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sensationalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensationalizing. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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