Grotesque
/ɡroʊˈtɛsk/
Definitions
2 meaningsDistorted, unnatural, or bizarre in appearance or character; ludicrously odd.
/ɡroʊˈtɛsk/
Distorted and unnatural in shape or appearance; fantastically ugly or absurd
The gargoyle on the cathedral was a grotesque figure.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're making silly faces in a funhouse mirror! If a face is super stretched or weirdly shaped, you could say it's grotesque. It's something that's not normal and a bit shocking to look at.
👶 For kids: Something that looks very strange and a little bit scary.
More Examples
Her makeup transformed her face into something truly grotesque.
The novel featured a grotesque depiction of the villain's inner thoughts.
How It's Used
"The artist depicted a grotesque monster in the painting."
"The clown wore a grotesque mask, making the children scream."
A fantastically distorted figure or design; a bizarre or unnatural combination of forms or images.
/ɡroʊˈtɛsk/
A very ugly or comically distorted figure, creature, or thing
The museum featured a collection of grotesques from different cultures.
💡 Simply: Sometimes, in art, you see crazy, weird-looking things – maybe a mix of animals and humans, all scrunched up. Those are called grotesques! It's like the artwork is playing a joke on your eyes.
👶 For kids: A silly, strange drawing or statue.
More Examples
The gargoyles on the cathedral were excellent examples of architectural grotesques.
The movie featured many grotesques designed to scare the viewers.
How It's Used
"The building's facade was adorned with grotesques, depicting fantastical creatures."
"The Renaissance period saw a revival of interest in grotesques as decorative motifs."
Synonyms
From French *grotesque*, from Italian *grottesco*, relating to the style of decoration found in Roman grottoes. It originally referred to a type of ornamentation involving fantastic human and animal forms, often combined with plant motifs, and later broadened to its current meaning.
The term 'grotesque' was initially used in the Renaissance to describe the fanciful and often bizarre decorations found in ancient Roman ruins (grottoes).
Memory tip
Think of a distorted statue in a grotto – grotesque!
Practice
Word Origin
Root: grotta