grotesque

American  

[groh-tesk] / groʊˈtɛsk /

adjective

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

   Synonyms:

   wild, antic, weird, deformed, distorted

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

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noun

1. any grotesque object, design, person, or thing.

grotesque British  

/ ɡrəʊˈtɛsk /

adjective

1. strangely or fantastically distorted; bizarre

   a grotesque reflection in the mirror

2. of or characteristic of the grotesque in art

3. absurdly incongruous; in a ludicrous context

   a grotesque turn of phrase

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noun

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

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

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

4. any grotesque person or thing

Related Words

See bizarre.

Other Word Forms

• grotesquely adverb
• grotesqueness noun
• ungrotesque adjective

Etymology

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

Compare meaning

How does grotesque compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gargoyle vs. grotesque

Example Sentences

Instead, his grotesque behavior backfired and has drawn even more insults and rejections.

From Salon

Such a comparison is morally grotesque and objectively wrong.

From The Wall Street Journal

But he had his own quirky, even obsessive interests—in all things ancient and Roman, in architecture, and especially in the hybrid ornamental figures known as grotesques.

From The Wall Street Journal

Which is why you have to seek out others’ thinking to understand the weird, even what you think is grotesque.

From The Wall Street Journal

What makes this moment especially grotesque is the hypocrisy.

From Salon

Related Words

• absurd
• bizarre
• eerie
• fanciful
• fantastic
• ludicrous
• monstrous
• odd
• outlandish
• preposterous
• ridiculous
• strange
• surrealistic
• whimsical