grotesquerie

noun

gro·​tes·​que·​rie grō-ˈte-skə-rē How to pronounce grotesquerie (audio)
variants or less commonly grotesquery
plural grotesqueries
Synonyms of grotesquerienext
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 on the Web
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.
The abundance of these grotesqueries was almost stranger than their existence. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 Dec. 2025 More pointedly, Norwegian filmmaker Emilie Blichfeldt adds the grotesquerie of archaic beauty practices — both real and apocryphal — to create a feminist body-horror parable akin to last year’s The Substance. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025 The director’s lifelong interest in the tenderness and grotesquerie is immediately apparent and presented with the kind of frenzied confidence that continues to make del Toro’s work feel explosive even as studios have made his movies more expensive and polished. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2025 Coll’s early works, with their prickly eclecticism and their fondness for instrumental grotesquerie, reflect the influence of Adès and György Ligeti, among others. Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grotesquerie

Word History

Etymology

grotesque + French -erie -ery

First Known Use

circa 1666, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grotesquerie was circa 1666

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Cite this Entry

“Grotesquerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grotesquerie. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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