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.
Or is this really just a freak show?
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
Like most reality TV, it's closer to a freak show than an attempt to reflect the average person's experiences.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024
The movie asks us, what is the modern version of the freak show?
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 24, 2023
The novel recounts the history and hardships of the Binewski clan, carnival folk whose pater- and materfamilias, Al and Crystal Lil, create their own freak show.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2022
For the longest time I swore I was behind on the puberty game since I haven’t even grown a mustache, but Dylan’s actually the freak show here—handsome freak show.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
