When a statement or claim is not meant to be taken literally because it deliberately exaggerates, it is an example of hyperbole. Hyperbole stretches reality to create emphasis, humor, drama, or emotional force. Saying “I’ve told you a million times” does not usually mean the speaker counted one million repetitions; it signals frustration or repeated effort.
The term comes from the Greek hyperbolē, meaning “overshooting” or “excess.” English writers and speakers have long used this device, from dramatic literature to everyday conversation. William Shakespeare uses striking exaggeration throughout his plays, while modern advertising often relies on claims such as “the best coffee in the world.”
The important distinction is that not every nonliteral expression is hyperbole. A metaphor compares unlike things without using “like” or “as,” as in “time is a thief.” Personification gives human traits to something nonhuman, while onomatopoeia imitates a sound, such as “buzz.” Hyperbole specifically involves an obvious overstatement or extravagant claim. A statement can therefore be figurative without being hyperbolic, but an exaggerated statement not intended literally is characteristically hyperbole.