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grotesque

[ groh-tesk ]
/ groʊˈtɛsk /
SEE 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.

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Origin of grotesque

First recorded in 1555–65; from French, from Italian grottesca (from pittura grottesca, opera grottesca “grotesque painting, decoration” such as was apparently found in excavated buildings), the feminine of grottesco “grotesque, uncouth,” derivative of grotta “cave.” See grotto, -esque

synonym study for grotesque

1. See bizarre.

OTHER WORDS FROM grotesque

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

Words nearby grotesque

Gros Ventre, grosz, grot, Grote, Grotesk, grotesque, grotesquery, Grotius, Groton, grotto, grotty
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to grotesque

whimsical, fantastic, monstrous, ridiculous, eerie, ludicrous, strange, preposterous, outlandish, fanciful, absurd, bizarre, odd, surrealistic, gross, flamboyant, antic, queer, weird, aberrant

Example sentences from the Web for grotesque

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

Derived forms of grotesque

grotesquely, 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