Grotesque
[grə(ʊ)'tesk] or [gro'tɛsk]
Definition
(noun.) art characterized by an incongruous mixture of parts of humans and animals interwoven with plants.
(adj.) distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal and hideous; 'tales of grotesque serpents eight fathoms long that churned the seas'; 'twisted into monstrous shapes' .
Typed by Judy--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) A whimsical figure, or scene, such as is found in old crypts and grottoes.
(n.) Artificial grotto-work.
Checked by Lanny
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Fantastic, fanciful, odd, whimsical, extravagant, unnatural, wild, strange, BIZARRE.
Checked by Jocelyn
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Whimsical, quaint, old, burlesque, archaic, caricatured, distorted
ANT:Classic, chaste, fina, fashionable, graceful, severe
Editor: Priscilla
Definition
adj. extravagantly formed: ludicrous.—n. (art) extravagant ornament containing animals plants &c. not really existing.—adv. Grotesque′ly.—ns. Grotesque′ness; Grotesqu′ery.
Edited by Kitty
Examples
- He saw the grotesque, and a curious sort of mechanical motion intoxicated him, a confusion in nature. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- It was a grotesque little diagram of a grotesque little animal, so wicked and so comical, a slow smile came over Gudrun's face, unconsciously. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Why should you attribute any importance to so grotesque an object? Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- There is something grotesque in it. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- The effect is as grotesque as it is incongruous. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- I confess that I had not up to now taken a very serious view of the case, which had seemed to me rather grotesque and bizarre than dangerous. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- They must have had a grotesque resemblance to heraldic dragons, and they played the part of bat-like birds in the Mesozoic jungles. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- And the grotesque thing about the story is that Robespierre was indubitably honest. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- A profusion of full-grown artificial wheat was scattered over her head in grotesque confusion. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- Naturally they produced strange views and grotesque interpretations. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Liberty, equality, fraternity--what a grotesque career those words have had. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- By my first ancestor, but never was there so grotesque a figure in all the universe. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- Darkness had now fallen, and an early moon was sending its faint light to cast strange, grotesque shadows among the dense foliage of the forest. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
- The big-headed babies were equally obliging in lending their grotesque aid to the general effect. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- The contrast was too grotesque: she could scarcely suppress the smile it provoked. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
Checked by Groves