grotesquerie

noun gro·tes·que·rie \ grō-ˈte-skə-rē \

variants: or less commonly grotesquery

Definition of grotesquerie

plural grotesqueries

1 : something that is grotesque

2 : the quality or state of being grotesque : grotesqueness

Examples of grotesquerie in a Sentence

born Joseph Merrick, the so-called Elephant Man was for a time exhibited as a sideshow grotesquerie

Recent Examples of grotesquerie from the Web

The war’s proponents deploy propaganda with all the loathsome rhetoric of the white supremacist alt-right; the war’s atrocities are Mengelean in scope and grotesquerie.

— n.k. jemisin, New York Times, "The Latest in Science Fiction and Fantasy," 6 Sep. 2017
In some ways, the grotesqueries of his persona, rather than anathematizing him to voters, only enhanced his appeal among those wishing for something different.

— jamelle bouie, Slate Magazine, "Protest Works," 24 Jan. 2017
Donald Trump’s grotesqueries have presented the Republican Party’s intellectual class with a searing test of faith, somewhat akin to the way Marxist intellectuals experienced Stalin’s pact with Hitler or Khrushchev’s secret speech.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Does Charlie Sykes Understand How the Right Lost Its Mind?," 15 Oct. 2017
But much of this year’s broadcast took a laugh-to-avoid-weeping approach to the Trump Era, and poking fun at political grotesqueries has long been Colbert’s forte.

— michelle cottle, The Atlantic, "Accountability Is for Non-Celebrities," 21 Sep. 2017
This movie is a gleeful carnival of nauseating grotesqueries.

— michael heaton, cleveland.com, "Darren Aronofsky's 'Mother!' is beneath contempt (review)," 15 Sep. 2017
For the most part, Ellis's original darkness, grotesquerie, and societal critique has been similarly cordoned off.

— jesse oxfeld, Town & Country, "American Psycho: The Musical," 22 Apr. 2016
Citi Field avoids such grotesqueries with a veritable roster of recognizable restaurateurs and chefs—Danny Meyer, David Chang, Michael White, Josh Capon, Dave Pasternack, and others.

— maurizio cattelan, Vogue, "Game Day Goes Gourmet: All The Best New Things to Eat at Sports Arenas Now," 30 July 2017
The image seems almost forced apart by the grotesqueries of stereotype, technology collapsing under the weight of history.

— adam davidson, The New Yorker, "When Ben Vereen Wore Blackface to Reagan’s Inaugural Gala," 6 Jan. 2017

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