大おおげさ

お

げ

さ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

exaggerated; overblown; grandiose

Describes speech, behavior, reactions, or presentation that is overly dramatic, inflated, or makes something seem bigger than it is. Often used critically.

彼かれの話はなしはいつも大おおげさだ。
His stories are always exaggerated.
大おおげさに言いえば、これは世せい紀きの大だい発はっ見けんだ。
To exaggerate a little, this is the discovery of the century.

See all 97 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

大おおげさな〈事こと〉an exaggerated thing/matter (story, reaction, etc.)
それはちょっと大おおげさな話はなしじゃない？
Isn't that story a bit exaggerated?
大おおげさに驚おどろくto act overly surprised
彼かれは小ちいさなことにも大おおげさに驚おどろく。
He acts overly surprised even at small things.
大おおげさな身み振ぶりexaggerated gestures
彼かの女じょは大おおげさな身み振ぶりで話はなしをした。
She talked with exaggerated gestures.
大おおげさに考かんがえるto blow something out of proportion; to overthink
そんなに大おおげさに考かんがえなくていいよ。
You don't have to blow it out of proportion like that.

Expressions

大おおげさにするexaggerate; make a big deal of
大おおげさに言いうexaggerate; overstate

Kanji

大large, big
袈a coarse camlet
裟Buddhist surplice

Related words· 7

誇こ張ちょうN1
誇張 is a formal noun meaning 'exaggeration,' often used in analytical or rhetorical contexts, while 大げさ is an everyday na-adjective describing someone's speech or reaction as overdone.
仰ぎょう々ぎょうしい
仰々しい specifically stresses pompous, ceremonious over-formality, whereas 大げさ more broadly covers any exaggerated speech or reaction.
オーバーN3
オーバー and 大げさ both describe exaggerated behavior or reactions, but 大げさ is the more native, everyday word while オーバー is a lighter, more casual loanword.
誇こ大だいN1
大げさ is more colloquial and often describes a person's behavior or manner as overblown, while 誇大 is more formal and typically refers to the content of a statement or claim.

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物もの々ものしいN1
大げさ means exaggerated, especially in speech or reaction, while 物々しい can describe a showy or pretentious style in appearance or atmosphere.
言いい過すぎ
大げさ describes an exaggerated manner or description in general, while 言い過ぎ specifically points to words that went further than they should have.
たいそうN2
大げさ is the usual modern word for “exaggerated,” whereas 大層 carries this nuance mainly in set phrases like たいそうなこと.

Opposites

控ひかえめ
控えめ describes modest, understated behavior, the opposite of 大げさ's exaggerated, over-the-top manner.

Don't confuse with

大おおざっぱN2
大雑把 means 'rough/careless' (as in imprecise work), while 大げさ means 'exaggerated'; learners sometimes confuse the two because both are na-adjectives starting with 大.
大だい々だい的てきN1
大袈裟 describes exaggeration in speech or reaction, whereas 大々的 describes the actual scale or publicity of an event, not exaggeration.
大おお時じ代だい
大袈裟 means 'exaggerated' or 'overblown', while 大時代 specifically means 'old-fashioned' or 'anachronistic' in style.

Written forms

大おおげさUsage59%
Standard common spelling; the second kanji is often written in kana.
大おお袈げ裟さUsage28%
Full kanji spelling, less common but still used; 袈裟 is a Buddhist robe, used here phonetically.
おおげさUsage13%

Etymology

From 大 (big) + 袈裟 (kesa, a Buddhist monk's robe). The robe was associated with showiness or ostentation, leading to the meaning 'exaggerated' or 'pompous'. The kana spelling げさ is now standard for the second part.