as in monsters
a strange or horrible and often frightening creature
a gallery of grotesques from some horror movie
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Recent Examples of grotesques
Indeed, compared with the realistically creased faces and hangdog stares of the Cubs, the Boston fans behind them are closer to grotesques, an inhuman crush of caricatures.
—
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Medieval carvers had a not dissimilar approach to design, fashioning grotesques for obscure nooks in cathedrals.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
As the agent rambles, the cameras onstage freeze Tullock’s face at unflattering moments, and the screens behind her display a series of grotesques.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Medieval carvers had a not dissimilar approach to design, fashioning grotesques for obscure nooks in cathedrals.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
As the agent rambles, the cameras onstage freeze Tullock’s face at unflattering moments, and the screens behind her display a series of grotesques.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grotesques
Noun
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There's also aliens or monsters or some other supernatural entity out to get them.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, this immersive storytelling experience is Edgar Allan Poe for the modern age; a heart-to-bleeding-heart with madmen, murderers and monsters all dying to tell their story.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As in Pillion and elsewhere, Melling imbues a premise’s potential grotesqueries with real and specific feelings.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2026
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The abundance of these grotesqueries was almost stranger than their existence.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
14 Dec. 2025
Noun
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His instincts, like his techniques, are relentlessly up-to-the-minute; Orsolya is hounded by not only her guilty conscience but also the demons of social media.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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The Saja Boys, a boy band made up of demons, attempt to disrupt that mission.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grotesques.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grotesques. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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