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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Set between Seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things, Tales from ’85 returns viewers to Hawkins in the stark winter of 1985, where the original characters must confront new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery that is terrorizing their town.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
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Other Avina Comics characters include a mariachi man who fights monsters using a silver string guitar and a luchador wrestler on a mission.—
Anna Ortiz,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The abundance of these grotesqueries was almost stranger than their existence.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
14 Dec. 2025
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This is less a parody of Judd than a reckoning with flesh and other grotesqueries.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Coach Brad Willis’ team responded to the setback by shaking off the loss plus the demons of a first-round exit in Division 1 last season.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
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Mikaela Shiffrin can now leave her Olympics demons behind.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grotesques.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grotesques. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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