embiggens
Increases in size
Embiggens means to make bigger or to grow larger.
The word was coined for a 1996 episode of *The Simpsons*, where it appears as mock-formal vocabulary: A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.
It has since entered genuine use, particularly in scientific and technical contexts describing enlargement or expansion, though it retains a playful, self-aware quality.
Humorously acceptable or valid
- SimpsonsAnimated TV family
- neologismNewly created expression
- whimsyPlayful, capricious quality
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
satirical · parody · coined · invented · absurdist · playful
Increases perceived size
- amplifiesIncreases strength or volume
- expandsIncreases in volume
- inflatesFills with gas
- swellsEnlarges or billows
broadens · widens · stretches · extends · supersizes · upsizes · bloats · balloons
Confers dignity upon
- upliftsRaises emotionally or physically
- elevatesRaises in position
- inspiresFills with creative urge
- strengthensIncreases force or durability
emboldens · encourages · liberates · enables · fortifies · heartens · invigorates · galvanizes
cromulent
Humorously acceptable or valid
wordplay · satirical · parody · coined · invented · absurdist · playful
magnifies
Increases perceived size
swells · broadens · widens · stretches · extends · supersizes · upsizes · bloats · balloons · dilates
ennobles
Confers dignity upon
strengthens · emboldens · encourages · liberates · enables · fortifies · heartens · invigorates · galvanizes · motivates
hyperbole
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstateRepresent as greater
- embellishAdd decorative elements
- dramatizeDepict with heightened emotion
puffery · overemphasize · overplay · oversell · aggrandize · glorify · overdraw · bluster · bombast · grandiloquence
embiggensdiminishes
Becomes smaller or weaker
belittles · degrades · demeans · debases · trivializes