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make a mountain out of a molehill

to exaggerate a small problem

In Idioms & Sayings

In more detail

(idiom) to treat a small or minor problem as if it were very serious or important; to exaggerate the importance of something unimportant

Examples

• She made a mountain out of a molehill by getting upset over a tiny spelling mistake in the email.

How to use make a mountain out of a molehill

This idiom is used to criticize someone for treating a minor issue as if it were catastrophic or extremely serious. It conveys disapproval of overreaction or exaggeration, often with a somewhat dismissive or gently sarcastic tone. The speaker suggests the other person is being unreasonably dramatic or worried.

Register: informal

Common phrases

• don't make a mountain out of a molehill
• making a mountain out of a molehill
• you're making a mountain out of a molehill
• make a mountain out of a molehill about

Synonyms

blow something out of proportion · overstate · exaggerate · dramatize · magnify

Opposites

downplay · minimize · understate

A common mistake

Learners sometimes reverse the objects in the idiom or confuse the order, saying 'make a molehill out of a mountain' which has the opposite meaning.

Nearby in Idioms & Sayings

let bygones be bygones, long shot, lose your touch, needle in a haystack, on cloud nine, out of the frying pan into the fire

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained