GROTESQUE Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'grotesque' different from other adjectives like it?

The words bizarre and fantastic are common synonyms of grotesque . While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones. // grotesque statues on the cathedral // though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

Q: When could 'bizarre' be used to replace 'grotesque'?

In some situations, the words bizarre and grotesque are roughly equivalent. However, bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination. // a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

Q: When would 'fantastic' be a good substitute for 'grotesque'?

The words fantastic and grotesque are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention. // dreamed up fantastic rumors

grotesque 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of grotesque next

as in loud

disagreeable to one's aesthetic or artistic sense the gaudy, overdecorated interior of the gambling casino was just too grotesque for my taste

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in ugly

unpleasant to look at that bloody Halloween mask is grotesque

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grotesque

2 of 2

noun

grō-ˈtesk

as in monster

a strange or horrible and often frightening creature a gallery of grotesques from some horror movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word grotesque different from other adjectives like it?

The words bizarre and fantastic are common synonyms of grotesque. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.

grotesque statues on the cathedral

though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

When could bizarre be used to replace grotesque?

In some situations, the words bizarre and grotesque are roughly equivalent. However, bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.

a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

When would fantastic be a good substitute for grotesque?

The words fantastic and grotesque are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of grotesque

Adjective

There’s something grotesque in the novel, too, actually. —

Nick Newman, IndieWire, 9 Dec. 2024 Eliza escaped upstairs, took off her wet clothes, and lay naked, splayed, grotesque on top of the covers. —

Lauren Groff, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2024

Noun

An element of the grotesque inflects Stettheimer’s version of the American rococo, and one wonders whether this is part of its Americanness, connecting her to John Currin as much as to the nineteenth-century circus poster. —

Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 The young lovers are always a difficult proposition in a musical that gives you such a bounty of grotesques, and here the two of them get lost among them. —

Vulture, 26 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for grotesque

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grotesque

Adjective

Mangione’s previous appearance in court included a loud outburst when he was lead into the building, but this morning’s proceedings went quietly and Mangione seemed in good spirits.

Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 19 Dec. 2024
The sheer size of the crowds in Tampa and Philly made those two of the loudest crowd pops of her career, but Bayley said the depth of the story with Damage CTRL also added to the reactions — and to her own pride in accomplishment.

Jay Reddick, Orlando Sentinel, 18 Dec. 2024