grotesque

[ groh-tesk ]

/ groʊˈtɛsk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grotesque ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

odd or unnatural in shape, appearance, or character; fantastically ugly or absurd; bizarre.

fantastic in the shaping and combination of forms, as in decorative work combining incongruous human and animal figures with scrolls, foliage, etc.

noun

any grotesque object, design, person, or thing.

Nearby words

Origin of grotesque

1555–65; < French < Italian grottesco (as noun, grottesca grotesque decoration such as was apparently found in excavated dwellings), derivative of grotta. See grotto, -esque

SYNONYMS FOR grotesque

1. distorted, deformed, weird, antic, wild. See fantastic.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grotesque ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsgro·tesque·ly, adverbgro·tesque·ness, nounun·gro·tesque, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for grotesque

Grotesque profiteering aside, life release ceremonies can devastate the eco-system.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma|Brendon Hong|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why is the sight—or mere thought—of other adults having sex thought of as grotesque, bad, or forbidden in the year 2014?
Porn Stars Are People Too, Dammit: Lisa Ann’s Notre Dame Date and the Trolling of David Gregory|Aurora Snow|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At least Jake Gyllenhaal shaved off his grotesque face scarf this year.
Leo, the Beard Has to Go: When a Man’s Facial Hair Reaches Crisis Point|Tim Teeman|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The runoff has turned into a macabre political sideshow filled with grotesque attacks and ugly accusations.
Mississippi GOP Plays Games With Black Votes|Ben Jacobs|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We look back for the pretty or grotesque pictures, and shake our heads at the circus.
Memory Porn: America’s Obscene Anniversary Obsession|Tim Teeman|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The world of the poets dream includes the twoa Titania, and a Bottom the weaverand can bring them into grotesque conjunction.
Folk-lore of Shakespeare|Thomas Firminger Thiselton-Dyer
His first action seems to me grotesque—and grotesquely pathetic.
The Sea Lady|Herbert George Wells
The house, adorned with grotesque faces, bears its date, 1621.
The Wye and Its Associations|Leitch Ritchie
Moccasins worked into grotesque designs with beads and porcupine quills covered his feet.
Seven and Nine years Among the Camanches and Apaches|Edwin Eastman
"What a hideous exhibition," I said, distinctly addressing a grotesque porcelain Buddha on the mantelpiece.
The Book of Susan|Lee Wilson Dodd

British Dictionary definitions for grotesque

grotesque

/ (ɡrəʊˈtɛsk) /

adjective

strangely or fantastically distorted; bizarrea grotesque reflection in the mirror

of or characteristic of the grotesque in art

absurdly incongruous; in a ludicrous contexta grotesque turn of phrase

noun

a 16th-century decorative style in which parts of human, animal, and plant forms are distorted and mixed

a decorative device, as in painting or sculpture, in this style

printing the family of 19th-century sans serif display types

any grotesque person or thing

Derived Formsgrotesquely, adverbgrotesqueness, noun

Word Origin for grotesque

C16: from French, from Old Italian (pittura) grottesca cave painting, from grottesco of a cave, from grotta cave; see grotto

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for grotesque

grotesque

adj.

c.1600s, originally a noun (1560s), from Middle French crotesque (16c., Modern French grotesque), from Italian grottesco, literally "of a cave," from grotta (see grotto). The usual explanation is that the word first was used of paintings found on the walls of basements of Roman ruins (Italian pittura grottesca), which OED finds "intrinsically plausible." Originally "fanciful, fantastic," sense became pejorative after mid-18c. Related: Grotesquely; grotesqueness.