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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

Examples 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
The results are in many ways fascinating, filled with innovative special effects, early examples of stop-motion animation, and elaborate, sometimes grotesque costumes. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024 From grotesque creatures to eerie, otherworldly settings, the film uses CGI and practical effects from its big budget in incredibly entertaining (and frightening) ways. Travis Bean, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
Noun
The young lovers are always a difficult proposition in a musical that gives you such a bounty of grotesques, and here the two of them get lost among them. Vulture, 26 Mar. 2023 Sweeping net-benefit claims are grotesque given these realities, yet the dutiful parroting of them is longstanding. Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 2 Jan. 2023 See all Example Sentences for grotesque 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grotesque
Adjective
  • And that’s the fine line developers and studio heads have to walk in the face of this newer, meaner, louder movement against diversity in the industry: whether or not to acknowledge its existence.
    Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2024
  • The result has been a film rollout that at times feels louder than the film itself.
    New York Times, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • In a Hungarian cartoon from around 1951, Churchill is seen as an ugly villain, ready to set households and factories on fire.
    Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
  • For many people, finding the perfect ugly Christmas sweater is an annual tradition.
    Shea Simmons, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The monsters are tall and impressively athletic-looking, with devil ears and animatronic snouts that snap like miniature crocodile jaws.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Dec. 2024
  • Families can hear all about classic ancient Greek myths which are filled with adventures of gods and goddesses, monsters, and heroes.
    Anna Halkidis, Parents, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The corps’ push for additional benefits coincided with a harsh realization for the British Army: For white men, service in the West Indies was viewed as a death sentence due to the high risk of disease.
    Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
  • This is especially key as bitcoin has surged to $100,000 , meaning that the earliest holders with the lowest basis could be facing harsh taxes on sale.
    Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • No abstract theory regardless of how sincerely held should impede or distract from that hideous, concrete real-world reality.
    Caroline Frost, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2024
  • The Menendez trials — the first of the two ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury — became such a sensation in part because of the hideous nature of the crime, but also because of who Lyle and Erik were.
    Jen Chaney, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024
Noun
  • Both projects share a similar eye for the grotesquerie of the banal, with a generally condescending perspective toward rural desperation.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
  • And if even the grotesqueries of Jimmy Fallon’s unconscious cannot slate your thirst for terror, congrats!
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • In a childcare montage near the film’s beginning, for instance, Heller wanted to capture how jarring ordinary moments can be when you’re sleep-deprived and stuck with a toddler.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
  • All the meticulous character development of Season 1 has gone out the window, and we’re left with rather jarring leaps instead.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
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 21 Dec. 2024.

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