grotesque

1 of 2

noun

gro·​tesque grō-ˈtesk 

1

a

: 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

b

: a piece of work in this style

an ornate structure, embellished with grotesques

2

: one that is grotesque

3

: sans serif

grotesque

2 of 2

adjective

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

a

: fanciful, bizarre

a grotesque Halloween costume

b

: absurdly incongruous

c

: 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.

Synonyms

Noun

• monster
• grotesquerie

Adjective

• loud
• harsh
• ugly
• jarring
• disgusting
• unpleasant
• unaesthetic

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

Examples of grotesque in a Sentence

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

More recently, the trend has leaned even more surreal, even into the grotesque. —Emily Johnson, Architectural Digest, 18 Oct. 2025

As the agent rambles, the cameras onstage freeze Tullock’s face at unflattering moments, and the screens behind her display a series of grotesques. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025

Adjective

The grotesque details—the uncle’s fingernails piercing his hands, the dog’s permanent terror of rabbits—are simply there. —David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Ninety minutes of hilariously grotesque mayhem. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for grotesque

• burlesque
• arabesque
• picaresque
• romanesque
• statuesque
• carnivalesque
• desk

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Kids Definition

grotesque

adjective

gro·​tesque

grō-ˈtesk

1

: combining (as in a painting) details not found together in nature

2

: unnaturally odd or ugly

grotesquely adverb

grotesqueness noun

Etymology

Adjective

from French grotesque "relating to or being a style of art with unusual designs and combinations of figures of animals, humans, and plants," from Italian (pittura) grottesca "cave painting," from grottesca "of a cave," from grotta, grotto "cave," from Latin crypta "cavern, crypt" — related to grotto

Word Origin

Italians exploring the ruins of ancient Rome found strange paintings on the walls of some of the rooms. These paintings were of human and animal forms mixed with those of strange fruits and flowers. The Italians called such a painting pittura grottesca, which means "cave painting." The Italian adjective grottesca came from grotta, meaning "cave." We also get English grotto from this word. The Italian word grotta in turn came from the Latin crypta, which meant "cavern, crypt." The French borrowed the word grottesca from Italian and spelled it grotesque, the form in which it came into English. At first the adjective was used to describe pictures having strange combinations of things not normally found together. Later it came to be used for anything that looked weird or unnatural.