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.
Nevertheless, it’s a Grand Guignol finish to what has previously been an effective, affecting and strictly naturalistic new interpretation of this canonical drama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Hers is a Grand Guignol sensibility that any “White Lotus” fan will get — and applaud.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
She delivered the Grand Guignol with a wink that was all the more disturbing for being so eccentrically amusing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
Meade, quite understandably, turned out sadistic, Grand Guignol thrillers as a respite from writing sentimental claptrap such as “A Sweet Girl Graduate” and “The Rebel of the School.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 18, 2021
The horrors confided to each other by the residents at Galvin House would have kept the Grand Guignol in realism for a generation.
From Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert George Jenkins
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
