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magnify

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
mag·ni·fy  (mgn-f)
v. mag·ni·fied, mag·ni·fy·ing, mag·ni·fies
v.tr.
1. To make greater in size; enlarge.
2. To cause to appear greater or seem more important than is in fact the case; exaggerate: You have grossly magnified a trivial situation. See Synonyms at exaggerate.
3. To increase the apparent size of, especially by means of a lens.
4. To glorify or praise.
v.intr.
To increase or have the power to increase the size or volume of an image or a sound.

[Middle English magnifien, to extol, from Old French magnifier, from Latin magnificre, from magnificus, magnificent; see magnific.]

magnify
Verb
[-fies, -fying, -fied]
1. to make something look bigger than it really is, for instance by using a lens or microscope
2. to make something seem more important than it really is; exaggerate: you are magnifying the problem out of all proportion
3. to make something sound louder than it really is: the stethoscope magnifies internal body sounds
4. Archaic to glorify or praise [Latin magnificare to praise]
magnified adj
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.magnifymagnify - increase in size, volume or significance; "Her terror was magnified in her mind"
enlarge - become larger or bigger
2.magnifymagnify - to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth; "tended to romanticize and exaggerate this `gracious Old South' imagery"
misinform, mislead - give false or misleading information to
overemphasise, overemphasize, overstress - place special or excessive emphasis on; "I cannot overemphasize the importance of this book"
3.magnify - make large; "blow up an image"
photography, picture taking - the act of taking and printing photographs
increase - make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted"

magnify
verb 2. make worse, exaggerate, intensify, worsen, heighten, deepen, exacerbate, aggravate, increase, inflame, fan the flames of
verb 3. exaggerate, overdo, overstate, build up, enhance, blow up, inflate, overestimate, dramatize, overrate, overplay, overemphasize, blow up out of all proportion, aggrandize, make a production (out) of (informal) make a federal case of U.S. (informal) << OPPOSITE understate
Translations
Spanish magnify [ˈmægnɪfaɪ] vtaumentar;
(fig) → exagerar

French magnify [ˈmægnɪfaɪ] vtgrossir [+ sound]; amplifier
German magnify [ˈmægnɪfaɪ] vtvergrößern;
(sound) → verstärken (fig) (exaggerate) → aufbauschen

Italian magnify [ˈmægnɪfaɪ] vtingrandire

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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Those who do not like him, magnify it, shrug up their shoulders, and exclaim--there he is again
Which he spake, because indeed there was never law, or sect, or opinion, did so much magnify goodness, as the Christian religion doth.
A wise criticism will no more magnify Shakespeare because he is already great than it will magnify any less man.
 
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