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 scenic design by Paul Tate dePOO III savors the show’s Grand Guignol flavors while leaving plenty of flexibility for antic comedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
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
Hers is a Grand Guignol sensibility that any “White Lotus” fan will get — and applaud.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
Alone in his studio, he performs their expressions and movements with prosumer facial-recognition technology, sends them through Grand Guignol torments and slapstick pratfalls, and voices their poetic scripts in ghostly voice-over.
From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2021
The object through which the suspense is conveyed to the reader is the telephone, employed with such tragic effect at the Grand Guignol.
From The Advance of English Poetry in the Twentieth Century by William Lyon Phelps
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.
