grotesque

[groh-tesk] / groʊˈtɛsk /

ADJECTIVE

ugly, misshapen

Synonyms

STRONGEST

absurd bizarre eerie fanciful fantastic ludicrous monstrous odd outlandish preposterous ridiculous strange surrealistic whimsical

STRONG

aberrant antic extreme flamboyant gross weird

WEAK

abnormal deformed distorted extravagant freakish grody incongruous malformed perverted uncanny unnatural

Antonyms

STRONGEST

common familiar little logical normal ordinary reasonable sensible serious small standard tiny usual

STRONG

moderate regular

WEAK

beautiful nice pretty shapely

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One former SNP head of communications claimed "a routine process" had been turned into a "grotesque spectacle".

From BBC • May 25, 2026

"I don't think there is anything to celebrate. It seems like a pretty grotesque situation to me," said 26-year-old Carmen Ponce, whose brother Victor Hugo was disappeared in 2020.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

Instead, his grotesque behavior backfired and has drawn even more insults and rejections.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026

This is a horrible, grotesque, and ongoing wrong, and that’s the level at which we need to engage.

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026

They looked even more grotesque now than when they were awake.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

Vocabulary lists containing grotesque

"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell

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Holes

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"Marigolds," Vocabulary from the short story

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