freak show
Americannoun
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a display of people or animals with unusual or grotesque physical features, as at a circus or carnival sideshow.
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any ludicrous, bizarre, or dehumanizing occasion, function, performance, etc.; grotesque, circuslike event.
endless interviews and auditions that became a ridiculous freak show.
Etymology
Origin of freak show
First recorded in 1885–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A freak show about a freak show, “O.J. Unseen: Exploitation of Evil” is a deep documentary dive into a septic TV concept that even now seems hard to grasp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Or is this really just a freak show?
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
In the clip below, he jokes about bringing misery to all of his sets whenever he possibly can, and that he's in the "freak show stage" of his career.
From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2023
"From the slums of Cardiff to the verge of Hollywood, via Queen Victoria and being a freak show star of the world's most famous circus," said great nephew Bob Osbourne.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2020
Everybody wants to be part of the freak show for a day.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
