Comprehensive
Dictionary Suite
Help
Help
Help
 
     
Lookup History
grotesque

gro·tesque

grotesque

 
pronunciation:
gro tesk
parts of speech:
adjective, noun
features:
Word Combinations (adjective, noun), Word History
part of speech: adjective
definition 1: unnatural, distorted, or ugly in character or appearance.
The grotesque, headless monster had the body of a man covered with the hair of a tarantula.The soldier hid his burned face, believing his wife would find it grotesque.
 
synonyms:
distorted, misshapen
similar words:
bizarre, hideous, ugly, unnatural
definition 2: fantastic or unnatural in the design or combination of forms, as in artwork combining incongruous human and animal features.
similar words:
bizarre, fantastic, outlandish, preposterous, unnatural
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
 
part of speech: noun
definition 1: one that is grotesque.
similar words:
freak, gargoyle
definition 2: an art style of sixteenth-century Italy that employed grotesque designs and forms.
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivations: grotesquely (adv.), grotesqueness (n.)
Word History
Grotesque comes from grotta, an early Italian word for "cave." English speakers first used the word "grotesque" to describe the weird paintings of humans and animals found on the basement walls of Roman ruins.