Dantesque

American  

[dan-tesk] / dænˈtɛsk /

adjective

1. in the style of Dante; characterized by impressive elevation of style with deep solemnity or somberness of feeling.

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Other Word Forms

• pseudo-Dantesque adjective

Etymology

Origin of Dantesque

1825–35; Dant(e) + -esque; compare French dantesque, Italian dantesco

Example Sentences

Education Minister Pilar Alegría called the image of Obregón leaving the hospital "Dantesque", referring to the Italian writer's journey through hell.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2023

And, certainly, both his book and Helm’s are full of the kind of details that ordinarily appear only in Dantesque visions.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 30, 2015

“Sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood” — she reflected upon the Dantesque meaning of Sondheim’s line, but she needn’t have said a word.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2015

Other specialty cars are devoted to a swank futuristic nightclub, a Dantesque Kronol-sniffing den, and a sushi bar where our bloodstained, battle-dazed revolutionaries find themselves sitting down for a surreal snack.

From Slate • Jun. 27, 2014

It shows Sciola standing, gaunt and Dantesque, against a black backdrop.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt