grotesque
Americanadjective
noun
-
grotesques
plural
adjective
-
strangely or fantastically distorted; bizarre
a grotesque reflection in the mirror
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of or characteristic of the grotesque in art
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absurdly incongruous; in a ludicrous context
a grotesque turn of phrase
noun
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a 16th-century decorative style in which parts of human, animal, and plant forms are distorted and mixed
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a decorative device, as in painting or sculpture, in this style
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printing the family of 19th-century sans serif display types
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any grotesque person or thing
Synonym Usage
See bizarre.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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:
Explanation
Use grotesque to describe things that are very strange and ugly in an unnatural way. If something "grosses you out," you can safely refer to it as grotesque. Grotesque also refers to a style of art that uses odd and fanciful combinations of natural, human, and animal forms. The original reference was to cave paintings found in ancient Roman ruins. Our English word is from French, from Italian grottesca pittura, "a cave painting," from grotta, "cave." Italian grotta is the source of our English word grotto.
Vocabulary lists containing grotesque
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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Holes
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"Marigolds," Vocabulary from the short story
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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.
See Examples For:
In his eyes, beauty takes all forms, morphing into the grotesque and outrageous before transforming again into a light, airy meringue, generously portioned atop life’s dense realities.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
The lyric soprano Katarzyna Wietrzny sings her in an arch scene played for laughs where something more grotesque seems called for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
"It looks to me designed to be a grotesque spectacle," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
In placing the problems of his age on the stage, Dürrenmatt combined tragedy and grotesque comedy, poignant drama and political farce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The falling snow had covered almost all of it, but part of one gargoyle still poked above the drift, its grotesque face snarling sightless at the sky.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Part of this is in the rich tradition of European reporters sojourning in the United States who find casual grotesques about Americans far more lucrative and less taxing than actually trying to meet the natives.
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
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 ● Jan. 21, 2026
With the genre claiming 17% of the domestic box office for 2025, production studios are eager to feed our seemingly bottomless appetite for cinematic grotesques, especially those based on true stories.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2025
More amusingly, among the gargoyles and grotesques that dot the various towers are one in the form of a corrupt politician and another representing Darth Vader.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
Another night of Stew Beef making dynamic subtleties with his drum and living, sculptural, grotesques in the dance.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
