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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
that bloody Halloween mask is grotesque
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in monster
a strange or horrible and often frightening creature
a gallery of grotesques from some horror movie
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grotesque
Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 May 2025
In just over a hundred pages, Luiselli paints a grotesque picture of the American immigration system, and forces the reader to replace names and numbers with faces and full lives.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
His early short films, such as Six Men Getting Sick (1967) and The Grandmother (1970), showcased his talent for blending the grotesque with the beautiful, setting the stage for his groundbreaking debut feature, Eraserhead (1977).
—Darryn King, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grotesque
Adjective
The rebels rescued June and the other Handmaids (plus Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia!) from the noose in the nick of time, having already killed a majority of the Commanders after Serena’s (Yvonne Strahovski’s) grotesque wedding.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 May 2025
In just over a hundred pages, Luiselli paints a grotesque picture of the American immigration system, and forces the reader to replace names and numbers with faces and full lives.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
Noun
Winifred, the protagonist of this Victorian-era grotesque, takes a position as a governess at an English manor.
—The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
His early short films, such as Six Men Getting Sick (1967) and The Grandmother (1970), showcased his talent for blending the grotesque with the beautiful, setting the stage for his groundbreaking debut feature, Eraserhead (1977).
—Darryn King, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grotesque
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grotesque
Adjective
-
Arrowhead first set the Guinness world record for loudest stadium in 2013.—
Nate Taylor,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
Inspired by global travels and family life abroad, one designer’s babywear line swaps loud prints for quiet elegance — from Sydney to Charleston and beyond. ByJordi Lippe-McGraw, Contributor.—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
Tech wealth here looks even less appealing than that of the Roy family (the expensively beige décor is even uglier).—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
-
During the negotiation of USMCA in 2018, the current trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada that Trump managed during his first term, conversations between the President and GM occasionally turned ugly.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
The message of Bring Her Back may be that grief is the real monster.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
30 May 2025
-
Almost anyone 18 and older that appears onscreen is a monster here, and anyone younger is either prey or a means to an end.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Instead of internalising every harsh comment, try reframing it as information about their inner world rather than a reflection of your worth.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
-
Kilar’s bold moves and harsh comeuppance beg the question: In an age of uncertainty, should Hollywood look to innovative but potentially disruptive outsiders or elevate from within?—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
There are no save-the-cat redemptions for a man who became famous for torturing, murdering and performing hideous experiments on countless Jews as part of a team of doctors overseeing medical services at Auschwitz-Birkenau.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2025
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But Eleanor has backed herself into an awful corner, and in some ways, so too has Johansson’s film, which is stuck trying to impart sage wisdom through the lens of a truly hideous (if well-meaning) lie.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
High-end grotesqueries out of Fellini or Visconti would have been more apt.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
-
By contrast, Doom: The Dark Ages flings the player back into the dark ages to witness a war between two factions that look like a low-rent knock-off imitation of series like Warhammer — grotesqueries and all.—
Kazuma Hashimoto,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Still to this day, seeing a sea of red robes walking in twos is jarring.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
-
Lighting designer Richard Norwood’s overhead fluorescents shine a harsh glare on Bisa’s Victorian-esque costumes, with jarring buzzes from sound designer Rick Sims punctuating the sudden lighting changes.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
Eric Tegler,
Popular Mechanics,
1 Oct. 2019
-
His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
1 Feb. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Grotesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grotesque. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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