Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech.
It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not
meant to be taken literally.
Hyperboles are exaggerations to create emphasis or effect.
As a literary device, hyperbole is often used in poetry, and is frequently encountered in
casual speech.
An example of hyperbole is: "The bag weighed a ton."
Hyperbole makes the point that the bag was very heavy, though it probably does not weigh
a ton.
In rhetoric, some opposites of hyperbole are meiosis, litotes, understatement, lackluster,
prosaic, dull and bathos.
References
External links Examples of hyperbole in poetry