An overstatement is an exaggeration or a statement in excess of what most would consider reasonable. A hyperbole is also an exaggeration, yet it is often more extreme than an overstatement and its intended effect is as a literary or rhetorical device.

Difference Between Hyperbole and Overstatement Hyperbole noun A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton. Overstatement verb To state in exaggerated terms. Hyperbole noun Deliberate or unintentional overstatement, particularly extreme overstatement.

Unlike exaggeration, overstatement rarely carries any hint of depreciation; it is therefore often the term chosen by one desiring to stress the fact of exceeding the truth without any additional implications. Hyperbole implies the use of exaggeration as a literary device.

Difference Between Overstatement and Hyperbole Overstatement ➦ To state in exaggerated terms. 0 Hyperbole ➦ Hyperbole (, listen) (adjective form hyperbolic, listen) is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. In rhetoric, it is also sometimes known as auxesis (literally 'growth').