exaggeration

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun A heaping together; accumulation; a pile or heap.
• noun An undue or excessive enlargement or development.
• noun Amplification; unreasonable or extravagant overstating or overdrawing in the representation of things; hyperbolical representation.
• noun In the fine arts, a representation of things in which their natural features are emphasized or magnified.
• noun In zoology, amplification or intensification; emphasis or conspicuousness, as of any characteristics: as, this form is but an exaggeration of the other.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun obsolete The act of heaping or piling up.
• noun The act of exaggerating; the act of doing or representing in an excessive manner; a going beyond the bounds of truth reason, or justice; a hyperbolical representation; hyperbole; overstatement.
• noun (Paint.) A representation of things beyond natural life, in expression, beauty, power, vigor.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun The act of heaping or piling up.
• noun The act of exaggerating; the act of doing or representing in an excessive manner; a going beyond the bounds of truth, reason, or justice; a hyperbolical representation; hyperbole; overstatement.
• noun A representation of things beyond natural life, in expression, beauty, power, vigor.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun making to seem more important than it really is
• noun the act of making something more noticeable than usual
• noun extravagant exaggeration