sensationalize

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verb

To glorify or inflate the importance of a piece of news; to artificially create a sensation.

OriginEnglish sensational ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? →
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Meanings

verbsensationalize (third-person singular simple present sensationalizes, present participle sensationalizing, simple past and past participle sensationalized)

present singular third person sensationalizes · participle present sensationalizing · participle past sensationalized · past sensationalized · alternative sensationalise

  1. BritishEnglishOxfordUSTo glorify or inflate the importance of a piece of news; to artificially create a sensation.

Origin

  1. Englishsensation
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  4. Englishsensational
  5. Englishsensationalize

From sensational + -ize.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 引起轟動 /引起轰动, 炒作
  • 引起轟動 /引起轰动 (yǐnqǐ hōngdòng)Translations
  • 炒作 (chǎozuò)Translations
French sensationnaliser
  • sensationnaliserTranslations
German aufbauschen, dick auftragen
  • aufbauschenTranslations
  • dick auftragenTranslations
  • dramatisierenTranslations
  • hochspielenTranslations
  • übertreibenTranslations
Russian де́лать сенса́цию, сенсационализи́ровать
  • де́лать сенса́цию (délatʹ sensáciju)Translations
  • сенсационализи́ровать (sensacionalizírovatʹ)Translations
Spanish sensacionalizar
  • sensacionalizarTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

sensationalize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sensationalize

MLA

“sensationalize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sensationalize. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sensationalize,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sensationalize.

Source: sensationalize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.