grotesquerie

noun

gro·​tes·​que·​rie grō-ˈte-skə-rē 

variants or less commonly grotesquery

plural grotesqueries

1

: something that is grotesque

2

: the quality or state of being grotesque : grotesqueness

Synonyms of grotesquerie

• monster
• grotesque

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 on the Web

How did the zombie go from being an emblem of enslavement and loss of autonomy in Haitian Vodou to the favorite flesh-eating grotesquerie of postapocalyptic tales? — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026

The anti-catalog exposed, after the fact of the Bicentennial, the grotesqueries of corporate beneficence and private boosters that had supplemented the government’s project. — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

There’s a certain kind of gentility and politeness, and then on the flip side, dark humor and grotesquerie. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Grounded in tragedy and yet evoking a consistent sense of wonder, the lady of the house looks less like a mirror for her husband than a magnifying glass held over his genius and grotesquerie. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

grotesque + French -erie -ery

First Known Use

circa 1666, in the meaning defined at sense 1