grotesque

1 of 2

noun

gro·tesque grō-ˈtesk

: a style of decorative art characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature

: a piece of work in this style

an ornate structure, embellished with grotesques

: one that is grotesque

: sans serif

grotesque

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the grotesque: such as

: fanciful, bizarre

a grotesque Halloween costume

: absurdly incongruous

: departing markedly from the natural, the expected, or the typical

animals with grotesque deformities

grotesquely adverb

grotesqueness noun

Did you know?

During the Italian Renaissance, Romans of culture took a great interest in their country's past and began excavating ancient buildings. During their excavations, they uncovered chambers (known in Italian as grotte, in reference to their cavelike appearance) decorated with artwork depicting fantastic combinations of human and animal forms interwoven with strange fruits and flowers. The Italian word grottesca became the name for this unique art style, and by 1561 it had mutated into the English noun "grotesque." The adjective form of "grotesque" was first used in the early 17th century to describe the decorative art but is now used to describe anything bizarre, incongruous, or unusual.

Choose the Right Synonym for grotesque

fantastic, bizarre, grotesque mean conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality.

fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.

a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.

grotesque statues on the cathedral

though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

Example Sentences

Noun a gallery of grotesques from some horror movie Adjective The actors wore dark capes and grotesque masks. a grotesque distortion of the facts

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While his grotesque Sandy Hook conspiracies did not gain traction in Republican circles, others did, such as the Jade Helm 15 conspiracy of 2015.

Nicole Hemmer, CNN, 3 Aug. 2022 Meier stuffs fabrics of varied textures and bold colors, to create soft sculptures that are at once fun and grotesque, according to Byrne.

Steve Lord, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2022 The facsimile of literary argument in the complaint, however grotesque, has its uses.

Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2022 Slipknot have built a brief but already noteworthy career as connoisseurs of the gross and grotesque.

Matthias Clamer, SPIN, 7 Aug. 2022 Unironic emotion is weak at best, grotesque at worst, and always to be hidden.

Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 8 July 2022 Fittingly, for someone now famous as a writer of the grotesque, Sorokin was introduced to the group by his dentist.

Jennifer Wilson, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022 First, there’s their dependence on accessibility and the embrace of forms of entertainment, even grotesque and burlesque entertainment.

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 The antics range from childlike—the boys don panda suits for a romp through Tokyo—to grotesque and life-threatening.

Travis Bean, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022

Adjective

Thus the grotesque chaos of Twitter users acting as if one person’s good day is a personal attack against them.

WIRED, 1 Dec. 2022 Typically, films tackling slavery face an uphill battle with voters who can’t stomach the grotesque depictions of inhumane treatment and the challenging subject matter.

Clayton Davis, Variety, 30 Nov. 2022 Yonezu: In the comic, demons are constantly hurting people in grotesque ways.

Billboard Japan, Billboard, 16 Nov. 2022 This particularly grotesque aspect of our national politics is a uniquely American phenomenon; other countries, such as Australia, have rewritten their laws and changed their societies after one or two mass shootings.

Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 26 May 2022 The movie hews closer to the more grotesque elements found in Carlo Collodi’s 19th century folk tale, adding its own eccentric ideas about parenting, mortality and authority.

Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2022 The conversation is grotesque — a furnace blast of racist tropes and unvarnished political sausage-making.

Carolina A. Mirandacolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2022 The violence is often grotesque, as when a mercenary sees an adversary’s arm blasted off, then runs him over with a car; the victim is shown cowering with fear, pleading despite being unable to move.

Daniel D'addario, Variety, 20 Oct. 2022 Weapons in the epic battle that ensues include cars, horses, dogs, guns, a drone, a machete, an animal trap, exploding tanks of diesel and — in a particularly grotesque scene — a hill of man-eating ants.

Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 27 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grotesque.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French, from Old Italian (pittura) grottesca, literally, cave painting, feminine of grottesco of a cave, from grotta — see grotto

First Known Use

Noun

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1603, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of grotesque was in 1561

See more words from the same year