You say that something is grotesque when it is so unnatural, unpleasant, and exaggerated that it upsets or shocks you.
...the grotesque disparities between the wealthy few and nearly everyone else.
...a country where grotesque abuses are taking place.
Synonyms: absurd, ridiculous, ludicrous, preposterous More Synonyms of grotesque
grotesquelyadverb
He called it the most grotesquely tragic experience that he's ever had.
2. adjective
If someone or something is grotesque, they are very ugly.
They tried to avoid looking at his grotesque face and his crippled body.
grotesquelyadverb [ADVERB adjective/-ed]
...grotesquely deformed beggars.
3. countable noun
A grotesque is a person who is very ugly in a strange or unnatural way, especially one in a novel or painting.
Grass's novels are peopled with outlandish characters: grotesques, clowns, scarecrows,dwarfs.
More Synonyms of grotesque
grotesque in British English
(ɡrəʊˈtɛsk)
adjective
1.
strangely or fantastically distorted; bizarre
a grotesque reflection in the mirror
2.
of or characteristic of the grotesque in art
3.
absurdly incongruous; in a ludicrous context
a grotesque turn of phrase
noun
4.
a 16th-century decorative style in which parts of human, animal, and plant forms are distorted and mixed
5.
a decorative device, as in painting or sculpture, in this style
6. printing
the family of 19th-century sans serif display types
7.
any grotesque person or thing
Derived forms
grotesquely (groˈtesquely)
adverb
grotesqueness (groˈtesqueness)
noun
Word origin
C16: from French, from Old Italian (pittura) grottesca cave painting, from grottesco of a cave, from grotta cave; see grotto
grotesque in American English
(groʊˈtɛsk)
adjective
1.
in or of a style of painting, sculpture, etc. in which forms of persons and animalsare intermingled as with foliage, flowers, or fruits in a fantastic or bizarre design
2.
characterized by distortions or striking incongruities in appearance, shape, or manner; fantastic; bizarre
3.
ludicrously eccentric or strange; ridiculous; absurd
noun
4.
a grotesque painting, sculpture, design, etc.
5.
a grotesque thing or quality
SIMILAR WORDS: fanˈtastic
Derived forms
grotesquely (groˈtesquely)
adverb
grotesqueness (groˈtesqueness)
noun
Word origin
Fr < It grottesca (pittura), orig., (picture) in a cave < grotta, grotto: from resemblance to designs found in Roman caves
Examples of 'grotesque' in a sentence
grotesque
His career and his personal life were a grotesque mirror image of decay.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There is something grotesque about a civilised society failing to give people clean enough air.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Why make yourself look a grotesque caricature of yourself?
The Sun (2014)
From a distance it looked like a grotesque act of vanity.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He had become a grotesque parody of himself and the gallery at last began to avert its eyes.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It damages others of us in ways more grotesque but in ways we do a pretty good job of covering up.
Christianity Today (2000)
Shock and disgust remain her primary tactic; the effect is more grotesque comedy.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It was a grotesque image.
The Sun (2014)
THE grotesque images of last week's riots will haunt us for many years to come.
The Sun (2011)
I didn't want to be some grotesque parody of womanhood.
The Sun (2009)
And I was really embarrassed about how grotesque it looked.
The Sun (2011)
For grotesque this was or, in its own scarily inventive way, grotesque burlesque.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
On the contrary, it is a grotesque, undignified parody.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Now the Home Secretary must crack down on another grotesque abuse.
The Sun (2014)
During the fuss over the grotesque abuse of women on Twitter, one thing caught my eye.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It is the comedy of the grotesque, performed with hideous conviction, that requires a strong stomach.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
A grotesque parody Perhaps that's fine.
The Sun (2014)
In other languages
grotesque
British English: grotesque ADJECTIVE
You say that something is grotesque when it is so unnatural, unpleasant, and exaggerated that it upsets or shocks you.
...the grotesque disparities between the wealthy few and nearly everyone else.
American English: grotesque
Brazilian Portuguese: grotesco
Chinese: 荒唐的
European Spanish: grotesco
French: grotesque
German: grotesk
Italian: grottesco
Japanese: グロテスクな
Korean: 기괴한
European Portuguese: grotesco
Latin American Spanish: grotesco
British English: grotesque NOUN
A grotesque is a person who is very ugly in a strange or unnatural way, especially one in a novel or painting.
His novels are peopled with outlandish characters: grotesques, clowns, scarecrows, dwarfs.
American English: grotesque
Brazilian Portuguese: aberração
Chinese: 怪异的人
European Spanish: persona grotesca
French: personnage grotesque
German: groteske Person
Italian: personaggio grottesco
Japanese: グロテスクな人
Korean: 괴물같은 인물
European Portuguese: aberração
Latin American Spanish: persona grotesca
Chinese translation of 'grotesque'
grotesque
(ɡrəˈtɛsk)
adj
(= shocking) 荒唐的 (huāngtáng de)
(= ugly) 丑(醜)陋的 (chǒulòu de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
strangely distorted or bizarre
statues of grotesque mythical creatures
Synonyms
unnatural
The altered landscape looks unnatural and weird.
bizarre
That book you lent me is really bizarre.
weird
I don't like that guy – he's really weird.
odd
Something odd began to happen.
strange
There was something strange about the flickering blue light.
fantastic
outlandish and fantastic images
distorted
His face was distorted but recognizable.
fanciful
fanciful ideas about Martian life
deformed
He was born with a deformed right leg.
outlandish
This idea is not as outlandish as it seems.
whimsical
He had an offbeat, whimsical sense of humour.
freakish
a freakish monstrous thing, something out of a dream
misshapen
baskets of misshapen vegetables
malformed
Her leg had been malformed from birth.
Opposites
natural
,
normal
2 (adjective)
Definition
strangely distorted or bizarre
the grotesque disparities between the rich and the poor
Synonyms
absurd
They go to absurd lengths just to avoid paying a few pounds.
ridiculous
It was an absolutely ridiculous decision.
ludicrous
It's a completely ludicrous idea.
preposterous
The whole idea was preposterous.
incongruous
She looked incongruous in an army uniform.
Opposites
natural
,
normal
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bizarre
Definition
odd or unusual, esp. in an interesting or amusing way