Which literary device is characterized by the use of exaggeration for emphasis?

The literary device characterized by the use of exaggeration for emphasis is hyperbole. This device is often employed to create a strong impression or to emphasize a particular point in a vivid and sometimes humorous way. For example, saying "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" illustrates hyperbole because it vastly exaggerates the speaker's hunger to highlight just how extreme their feeling is, rather than conveying a literal truth.

Hyperbole can evoke strong emotions or images in the reader’s mind and is frequently found in poetry, storytelling, and everyday speech. In contrast, metaphors convey an idea by stating one thing is another, alliteration involves the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words, and similes make comparisons using "like" or "as." Each of these devices has its own unique function, but they do not primarily focus on exaggeration in the manner that hyperbole does.