Which term describes an extreme exaggeration in writing?

Hyperbole is a literary device used to create emphasis through deliberate and extreme exaggeration. It is not meant to be taken literally but rather to highlight a particular quality or emotion in a more vivid and dramatic way. For instance, saying "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" illustrates hyperbole, as it emphasizes a strong feeling of hunger without intending to imply that someone would actually consume a horse.

This device is effective in conveying strong feelings or creating a humorous effect, making it a common technique in poetry, storytelling, and everyday language. In contrast, the other options refer to different concepts: colloquialism involves informal expressions used in a specific region, idioms are phrases with meanings that can't be deduced from the individual words, and irony conveys a discrepancy between expectations and reality. Each of these does not share the characteristic of extreme exaggeration inherent to hyperbole.