Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration. It's not meant to be taken literally. Writers use hyperbole to create imagery, emphasize feelings, or provide insight about a character.

Is hyperbole and exaggeration the same?

Exaggeration simply means going over the top. An example is when you are waiting for your friend, and you've been waiting 5 minutes, but you say to him: 'I've been waiting for like half an hour!' Hyperbole means UNREALISTIC exaggeration. That's the keyword.

What is the same as hyperbole?

Exaggeration is the representation of something as better or worse than it really is. Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as literary or rhetorical device.