Synonyms of grotesque

grotesque 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in loud

disagreeable to one's aesthetic or artistic sense

the gaudy, overdecorated interior of the gambling casino was just too grotesque for my taste

Synonyms & Similar Words

• loud
• harsh
• ugly
• jarring
• disgusting
• unpleasant
• unaesthetic
• grating
• tawdry
• gaudy
• bizarre
• garish
• repulsive
• acid
• inartistic
• obscene
• unpleasing
• tacky
• vulgar
• repugnant
• tasteless
• odd
• flashy
• artless
• gross
• inelegant
• crude
• uncouth
• clumsy
• disagreeable
• shocking
• dissonant
• outlandish
• uncultured
• raucous
• unartistic
• jolting
• unrefined
• rude
• unmusical
• graceless
• kinky
• inharmonious
• ragged
• raspy
• discordant
• disharmonious
• unmelodious
• off-key
• clashing
• blaring
• jangling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• aesthetic
• artistic
• beautiful
• artful
• attractive
• becoming
• good
• appealing
• agreeable
• harmonious
• felicitous
• pleasing
• comforting
• elegant
• soothing
• comely
• graceful
• subdued
• tasteful
• gracious
• softened
• seemly
• refined
• polished
• cultured
• harmonizing
• calming

2

as in ugly

unpleasant to look at

that bloody Halloween mask is grotesque

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ugly
• hideous
• unpleasing
• disgusting
• awful
• monstrous
• unattractive
• unappealing
• vile
• unsightly
• homely
• unlovely
• horrible
• unbeautiful
• sickening
• repulsive
• loathsome
• revolting
• appalling
• uncomely
• abominable
• unpretty
• unhandsome
• ill-favored
• repugnant
• abhorrent
• nauseating
• horrid
• repellent
• dreadful
• distasteful
• gross
• nauseous
• noisome
• unbecoming
• plain
• unaesthetic
• frumpy
• unshapely
• frumpish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• beautiful
• attractive
• aesthetic
• stunning
• lovely
• handsome
• gorgeous
• pretty
• cute
• ravishing
• fair
• beauteous
• goodly
• good-looking
• seemly
• comely
• drop-dead
• knockout
• fetching
• taking
• shapely
• impressive
• sightly
• imposing
• bonny
• well-favored
• prepossessing

grotesque

2 of 2

noun

grō-ˈtesk 

as in monster

a strange or horrible and often frightening creature

a gallery of grotesques from some horror movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

• monster
• demon
• grotesquerie
• ogre
• monstrosity
• Frankenstein
• terror
• fright
• horror
• devil
• abomination
• abnormality
• incubus
• ogress
• bugaboo
• bugbear
• imp
• banshee
• mutant
• bogey
• mutation
• bête noire
• anathema
• bogeyman
• freak
• fiend

Synonym Chooser

How is the word grotesque different from other adjectives like it?

The words bizarre and fantastic are common synonyms of grotesque. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," 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

When could bizarre be used to replace grotesque?

In some situations, the words bizarre and grotesque are roughly equivalent. However, 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

When would fantastic be a good substitute for grotesque?

The words fantastic and grotesque are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

How is the word grotesque different from other adjectives like it?

The words bizarre and fantastic are common synonyms of grotesque. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," 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

When could bizarre be used to replace grotesque?

In some situations, the words bizarre and grotesque are roughly equivalent. However, 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

When would fantastic be a good substitute for grotesque?

The words fantastic and grotesque are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of grotesque

Adjective

At worst, military action has been announced with grotesque montages from the White House itself, as if war were a video game rather than a decision measured in lives lost and human tragedy. —Zach Iscol, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026

Pairing their Tiny Desk set with four new songs, the album was accompanied by a short film that turned them into grotesque cartoons of themselves, alternating between looksmaxxing and airbrushed, doll-like looks reminiscent of the Backstreet Boys’ turn-of-the-millennium aesthetic. —Maria Nenet Barrios, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2026

Noun

Their creative collaboration, taking inspiration from ivory anatomy figures to settle on a look that balances the beauty with the grotesque, is an achievement that has more than made the 10 hours in the makeup chair each day worth it. —Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 12 Nov. 2025

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

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