grotesque

Syllabification: (gro·tesque)

Pronunciation: /grōˈtesk/

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Definition of grotesque

adjective

comically or repulsively ugly or distorted:grotesque facial distortions
incongruous or inappropriate to a shocking degree:a lifestyle of grotesque luxury

noun

1a very ugly or comically distorted figure, creature, or image:the rods are carved in the form of a series of gargoyle faces and grotesques
(the grotesque) that which is grotesque:images of the macabre and the grotesque
a style of decorative painting or sculpture consisting of the interweaving of human and animal forms with flowers and foliage.

2 Printing a family of 19th-century sans serif typefaces.

Derivatives

grotesquely
grotesqueness

Origin:

mid 16th century (as noun): from French crotesque (the earliest form in English), from Italian grottesca, from opera or pittura grottesca 'work or painting resembling that found in a grotto'; “grotto” here probably denoted the rooms of ancient buildings in Rome that had been revealed by excavations and contained murals in the grotesque style

Spell grotesque with -esque at the end.

grotesque in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of grotesque in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

grotesque

adjective

noun

Derivatives

grotesquely

grotesqueness

Origin:

grotesque in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for grotesque

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