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grotesque

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noun

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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of grotesque
Adjective
When his rural house of horrors was discovered by authorities in 1957, future production designers got a laundry list of ideas for grotesque set decorations. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 29 Aug. 2025 Suddenly the menace is no longer just the question of whether Keith can be trusted, but something far more shocking, grotesque, bizarre. Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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 White specks on the horizon grew to surround us with grotesques of ice. Blair Braverman, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for grotesque
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grotesque
Adjective
  • This discourse only got louder during minicamp when he was called out for his physical appearance and route running.
    Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
  • As Anisimova kept making things close again, and the crowd kept getting loud, Sabalenka reminded herself to focus on herself.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This comes after Sunday's ugly loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a game that saw Hill catch just four passes for 40 yards.
    Drew VonScio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • That’s a hard reality to stomach for Giants fans, who had to watch their offense go 4-for-16 on third downs, pile up just 157 passing yards and finish with six points in an ugly loss to the Commanders.
    Zak Keefer, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Labubu is a doll that resembles a monster, featuring a large head, sharp teeth and prominent eyes.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Four years later, when Pop Mart began selling Labubus on key rings, the toothy monsters began to be seen everywhere — and the phenomenon really has taken off lately.
    Fortune, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The once-beloved pastels will become harsh.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The pilgrimage, listed on the official calendar of jubilee events, comes as gay Catholics look to Pope Leo XIV to continue down the bold path of his predecessor to welcome into the church a group that has in the past faced alienation and sometimes harsh treatment.
    Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Hart was short, with a hideous combover.
    Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
  • That hideous incentive triggered My Lai and other similarly heinous attacks.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The sandwich, featuring ground meat—generally beef—suspended in a thick, sweet tomatoey sauce, has become an avatar of the horrible school lunch, a cliché that tends to go along with hairnets, greasy aprons, and other elements of canteen grotesquerie.
    Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 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
  • The Indianapolis Colts made a rather jarring move at quarterback this offseason, awarding Daniel Jones the starting job over Anthony Richardson.
    Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The man stands just beyond a vivid swirl of similarly unclothed American Indians with discolored bodies, a jarring imagining of the senseless violence and disease that ravaged the Ohlone people, who first settled in the coastal Northern California land that now comprises much of the Bay Area.
    Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Grotesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grotesque. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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