1
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
2
as in ugly
unpleasant to look at
that bloody Halloween mask is grotesque
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in monster
a strange or horrible and often frightening creature
a gallery of grotesques from some horror movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grotesque
Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Such grotesque accounts are part of alternate histories that hegemonic discourse attempted to erase.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025
Winifred, the protagonist of this Victorian-era grotesque, takes a position as a governess at an English manor.
—The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grotesque
Adjective
Here, spiritual infractions are met with savage physical punishment and some of the more grotesque images in recent horror memory (which, as the genre has become ever more popular and emboldened, is seriously saying something).
—Noun
While some people expressed excitement about the new look for a key Broad Ripple entrance, others called the sculpture grotesque.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for grotesque
Adjective
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Their noise got loudest at night when the city became quiet.—
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Sports radio can be loud and raucous, blaring with bluster and bellowing.—
Adjective
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Not because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior.—
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Sure, coach Mike Tomlin's teams tend to win ugly games, but not in the playoffs — at least not lately.—
Noun
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In it, Oldham costumes up as a shaggy woodland monster, which—after a more nimble inhabitant seemingly swaps into the outfit—proceeds to engage a human in an elaborate dance routine.—
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That mentality has fueled a monster debut season for Porter County Conference leader Kouts (12-3, 4-1).—
Adjective
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Bipartisan harsh criticism Senators from both sides of the aisle blasted the investigation.—
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Common exfoliators and fine line-eliminators like retinol and glycolic acid are too harsh on my skin, but this serum utilizes lactic acid, which is far more gentle but just as potent.—
Adjective
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Such jars of moldy fruit were probably fairly hideous to consume.—
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The Rodents of Unusual Size that attack Westley in a swamp work because they are played by small men in rodent suits, rather than coolly conjured from pixels; their deliberate artifice is the thrill, and Reiner provided the voice for their hideous snorts.—
Adjective
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Judge Sara Ellis has listened to hours of testimony from citizens' accounts of jarring encounters with federal agents.—
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Throw in the six sacks the Titans defense secured and the numbers get even more jarring.—
Adjective
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Smears on non-sensor areas of the tiara are like bug debris on your hood, aesthetically unpleasing but not harmful.—
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His side's inability to finish off the game against Burnley on the other hand was very unpleasing.—
Adjective
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The medical ordeals are traumatic and disgusting, but fascinating and full of the quirks of modern life.—
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Having snow, slush, and (eventually) water all over my floors was a disgusting feeling.—
Cite this Entry
“Grotesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grotesque. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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