Grand Guignol
noun
Grand Gui·gnol
ˌgräⁿ-gēn-ˈyȯl 
-ˈyōl
: dramatic entertainment featuring the gruesome or horrible
Grand Guignol
adjective
Examples of Grand Guignol in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Much more disturbing than the scenes of pint-size assassins wreaking havoc (or emerging bloody from a birth sack in the Grand Guignol climax) are the toxic emotions that inspired them.
—
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
In this case, the mood is way more gonzo, straddling the line between gross-out comedy and Grand Guignol gore-mongering.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
But their debut feature swaggers with confidence through a brash and playful version of L.A. Genres are mashed together at will: western, action, romance, Grand Guignol.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The Grand Guignol of horror, the slasher slowly gave rise in the 1960s before exploding in the late ’70s following the massive success of John Carpenter’s Halloween.
—Meagan Navarro, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
Their performances in this gonzo sci-fi fest verge on camp, as does the movie's Grand Guignol sense of violence.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
For so long, the R.N. had been, as in a favorite Grand Guignol performance at the Luxembourg Gardens, the grand méchant loup who terrorized the trois petits cochons.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 9 July 2024
And that goes for his already-historic, Grand Guignol kill with a view, too.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 31 May 2024
The stakes just keep getting higher in this Grand Guignol of bloodthirsty excess, as bereaved government agent Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun) descends into shocking depravity in his pursuit of serial killer Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik).
—EW.com, 2 June 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
In this case, the mood is way more gonzo, straddling the line between gross-out comedy and Grand Guignol gore-mongering.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
But their debut feature swaggers with confidence through a brash and playful version of L.A. Genres are mashed together at will: western, action, romance, Grand Guignol.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The Grand Guignol of horror, the slasher slowly gave rise in the 1960s before exploding in the late ’70s following the massive success of John Carpenter’s Halloween.
—Meagan Navarro, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
Their performances in this gonzo sci-fi fest verge on camp, as does the movie's Grand Guignol sense of violence.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
For so long, the R.N. had been, as in a favorite Grand Guignol performance at the Luxembourg Gardens, the grand méchant loup who terrorized the trois petits cochons.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 9 July 2024
And that goes for his already-historic, Grand Guignol kill with a view, too.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 31 May 2024
The stakes just keep getting higher in this Grand Guignol of bloodthirsty excess, as bereaved government agent Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun) descends into shocking depravity in his pursuit of serial killer Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik).
—EW.com, 2 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Grand Guignol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Grand%20Guignol. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share