overblown
UK: /ˌəʊvəˈbləʊn/ | US: /ˌoʊvərˈbloʊn/
adj. exaggerated or excessively inflated in style, importance, or effect
adj. (of a flower) past its prime; faded or withered
overblown = over<excessive> + blown<past participle of "blow">
- over: From Old English ofer, meaning "above, beyond, excessively."
- blown: Archaic past participle of "blow," from Old English blāwan, meaning "to move air, bloom, or inflate."
Etymology Origin:
The word "overblown" originally described flowers that had bloomed past their peak (literally "blown over"). By the 17th century, it metaphorically extended to things exaggerated or inflated beyond natural limits, reflecting the idea of excess—whether in nature (a flower past its prime) or rhetoric (hyperbolic statements).
The media’s coverage of the scandal was overblown and sensationalized.
Her overblown speech made the issue seem far more dramatic than it was.
The roses in the vase looked overblown, their petals beginning to fall.
Critics dismissed the film as an overblown spectacle with little substance.
His ego had become so overblown that he ignored constructive feedback.