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
The script, by Ed Solomon, treats the Sklar siblings as cardboard grotesques—heartless, talentless, united in their loathing of a father who loathes them right back.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
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
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
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
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
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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The backstory flashbacks about an abusive father that suggest not all monsters have fangs?—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2026
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Peasants whisper about monsters in the forest, and in the interlude between the wars, Lajos gazes at a house that is burning down and has a premonition of the world-historical destruction to come.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 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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Sometimes, those personal demons will be the death of you.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
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Still overcome with his own grief, Creasy must tuck his own demons away in an effort to care for a teenage girl whose life has suddenly been thrown into chaos.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grotesques.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grotesques. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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