Overhype

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To promote or advertise something in a way that makes it seem much better than it really is
2. To create an exaggerated impression of the value or quality of something through excessive praise or publicity
3. To praise or publicize something too much, leading to unrealistic expectations about its benefits or performance

Etymology: Hype began as a clipping of "hyperbole," the rhetorical term for deliberate exaggeration, which came into English through Latin from Greek "huperbolē," literally "a throwing beyond," built from "huper" meaning "over" and "ballein" meaning "to throw." The Greek sense of overshooting the mark is still visible in the original word: exaggeration is a claim that goes past what is true. Hype then detached from its parent and took on a life of its own as a slang noun and verb meaning to promote something loudly or to stir up publicity. Overhype takes the English prefix "over-," meaning too much, and attaches it to this newer verb, so it means to promote something beyond what it deserves. The word therefore carries the Greek idea of throwing past the target, now applied to publicity.

Synonyms: exaggerate, overstate

Antonyms: understate, downplay