What is the meaning of grotesque?

noun

  • Art characterized by an incongruous mixture of parts of humans and animals interwoven with plants.

adjective

  • Distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous.
    • usage: "tales of grotesque serpents eight fathoms long that churned the seas"; "twisted into monstrous shapes"
  • Ludicrously odd.
    • usage: "Hamlet's assumed antic disposition"; "fantastic Halloween costumes"; "a grotesque reflection in the mirror"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). grotesque. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/grotesque/definitions/1175144
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "grotesque" http://smartdefine.org/grotesque/definitions/1175144 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, grotesque, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/grotesque/definitions/1175144>.
MLAWordNet. "grotesque" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/grotesque/definitions/1175144>
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