Grand Guignol
Americannoun
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a short drama stressing horror and sensationalism.
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of, relating to, or resembling such a drama.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Grand Guignol
First recorded in 1905–10; after Le Grand Guignol, small theater in Paris where such dramas were performed
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.
The film cast Crawford and her fellow diva Bette Davis as elderly sisters in a Grand Guignol horror hit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
As mixed as I am on the film itself, I appreciate that the Academy is embracing not just a horror movie, but a gleeful Grand Guignol that defiles the Walk of Fame twice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2025
Hers is a Grand Guignol sensibility that any “White Lotus” fan will get — and applaud.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
Sam Raimi’s original trilogy made stylish Grand Guignol gore that evoked Jean-Luc Godard’s response to a question about why he used so much blood.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2023
Your Parisian hoaxer likes a dash of Grand Guignol horrors in his jokelet.
From Swirling Waters by Rittenberg, Max
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.
