What does "grotesque" mean?
A style of ornamentation characterized by fanciful combinations of intertwined forms.
Grotesque
/ɡɹoʊˈtɛsk/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A style of ornamentation characterized by fanciful combinations of intertwined forms.
- Grammar: grotesque is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: monstrous, aberrant, abnormal, absurd.
- Useful contrasts: aesthetic, beautiful, beauty.
- Usage evidence: They made huge, grotesque, yet beautiful poles of red cedar.
How to use "grotesque"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "grotesque" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "grotesque" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "grotesque" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "grotesque" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "grotesque" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "monstrous" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "grotesque", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A style of ornamentation characterized by fanciful combinations of intertwined forms. countable, uncountable
- 2 art characterized by an incongruous mixture of parts of humans and animals interwoven with plants wordnet
- 3 Anything grotesque. countable, uncountable
"Obese and largely unintelligible, Don Vito represents a working-class white male grotesque, the picture of excess."
- 4 A sans serif typeface. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To make grotesque. transitive
"Why, when I saw that bestiality— / So beyond all brute-beast imagining, / That when, to point the moral at the close, / Poor Salabaccho, just to show how fair / Was ‘Reconciliation,’ stripped her charms, / That exhibition simply bade us breathe, / Seemed something healthy and commendable / After obscenity grotesqued so much / It slunk away revolted at itself."
Adjective
- 1 Distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal, especially in a hideous way.
"The chimney-piece was of party-coloured marble, covered with figures, some of whose faces were beautiful, but generally running off into those grotesque combinations which characterised the peculiar taste of their time."
- 2 Disgusting or otherwise viscerally revolting.
"Trump’s grotesque and incomprehensible fondness for Putin makes the details of any deal highly dangerous for Europe and the NATO alliance, founded to confront Russia."
- 3 Sans serif.
Adjective
- 1 distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous wordnet
- 2 ludicrously odd wordnet
Example
"They made huge, grotesque, yet beautiful poles of red cedar."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "grotesque"?
Common synonyms include: monstrous, aberrant, abnormal, absurd, absurd, anomalous.
How do you use "grotesque" in a sentence?
They made huge, grotesque, yet beautiful poles of red cedar.
How do you pronounce "grotesque"?
Pronounced /ɡɹoʊˈtɛsk/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek κρύπτω (krúptō) Ancient Greek κρυπτή (kruptḗ)bor. Latin crypta Italian grotta Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Vulgar Latin -iscus Italian -esco Italian grottescobor. Middle French grotesquebor. English grotesque Borrowed from Middle French grotesque, from Italian grottesco, from grotta (“cave”) + -esco (relational suffix). By surface analysis, grotto + -esque. Compare French grotesque, English grotto.