as in to exaggerate
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 sensationalize
Many claim to have knowledge but lack any connection to the truth, while their wild, unfounded theories are cut and sensationalized to appear factual.
—
Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
After a local newspaper sensationalized the story, a mob of white Tulsans gathered outside the courthouse, demanding a lynching, according to the report.
—Sabina Ghebremedhin, ABC News, 11 Jan. 2025
That also affects the public response, sensationalizing the television reporting and democratizing the outcry.
—Jim Newton, The Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2025
Hearst was a political influencer and pioneer of yellow journalism—dishonest and sensationalized reporting, which some historians believe contributed to the Spanish-American War of 1898.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sensationalize
Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
After a local newspaper sensationalized the story, a mob of white Tulsans gathered outside the courthouse, demanding a lynching, according to the report.
—Sabina Ghebremedhin, ABC News, 11 Jan. 2025
That also affects the public response, sensationalizing the television reporting and democratizing the outcry.
—Jim Newton, The Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2025
Hearst was a political influencer and pioneer of yellow journalism—dishonest and sensationalized reporting, which some historians believe contributed to the Spanish-American War of 1898.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sensationalize
Cite this Entry
“Sensationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensationalize. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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