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

• grotesquerie
• grotesquery
• monster
• monstrosity
• ogre

Adjective

• grating
• harsh
• jarring
• 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 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. —Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023

Washington National Cathedral, a famous example of Neo-Gothic architecture, is known for its collection of more than a hundred gargoyles and grotesques, including funny ones. —Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 14 July 2023

An element of the grotesque inflects Stettheimer’s version of the American rococo, and one wonders whether this is part of its Americanness, connecting her to John Currin as much as to the nineteenth-century circus poster. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022

The young lovers are always a difficult proposition in a musical that gives you such a bounty of grotesques, and here the two of them get lost among them. —Vulture, 26 Mar. 2023

Sweeping net-benefit claims are grotesque given these realities, yet the dutiful parroting of them is longstanding. —Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 2 Jan. 2023

Right from the start, and despite the grotesque, over-the-top horror setting, there’s a palpable sense of realism to The Callisto Protocol’s story and visuals. —Alessandro Fillari, Ars Technica, 2 Dec. 2022

The Irish writer-director Martin McDonagh has earned an adoring audience for his ability to find grace amid the grotesque. —Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2022

Somewhere deep within the gargantuan proportions of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony there has always resided a bundle of tensions or even contradictions — between form and content, art and life, fate and free will, the grotesque and the beautiful. —Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Oct. 2022

Adjective

After killing them, Alcala placed their bodies in grotesque poses, sometimes photographing them. —Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

Burnett said the Milwaukee County Dispatch Center was notified about a human leg being found when a park patron walking in the park called in to report the grotesque discovery. —Stepheny Price, Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024

These actions are too dark and grotesque and the country deeply rejects them. —Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024

And the aesthetic of the circus — captivating, grotesque and delightfully retro — had long precedent in the arts, as well, from Alexander Calder’s miniature circus models to the life-as-circus absurdism of the films of Federico Fellini. —Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024

Bodies and objects interact and are manipulated in an open-ended, highly suggestive fashion, engaging unconscious triggers often by using the erotic or grotesque — with a heavy splash of humor. —Michael Slenske, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024

Jenna Ortega stars in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, with Michael Keaton back as the grotesque ghost and Winona Ryder returning as Lydia Deetz, who is now a mother to Ortega’s character. —Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024

In its most extreme iterations, gen AI extends a grotesque American tradition: the deliberate devaluing of Black life through distortion and theft. —Jason Parham, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024

Trump’s entire campaign is a study in grotesque slander, but Rove did not even mention Trump’s Georgia rally while sanctimoniously tut-tutting about Biden. —Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024

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

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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.