I. (ˈ)grō|tesk noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French grotesque, crotesque, from Old Italian grottesca, from ( pittura ) grottesca, literally, cave painting, ancient painting found in the ruins of Rome; grottesca, feminine of grottesco, adjective
1.
a. : decorative art (as in sculpture, painting, architecture) characterized by fanciful or fantastic representations of human and animal forms often combined with each other and interwoven with representations of foliage, flowers, fruit, wreaths, or other similar figures into a bizarre hybrid composite that is typically aesthetically satisfying but that may use distortion or exaggeration of the natural or the expected to the point of comic absurdity, ridiculous ugliness, or ludicrous caricature
b.
(1) : a piece of decorative art done in this style
(2) : one of the figures or designs in such a piece of decorative art
(3) : something suggestive of or resembling such art or the figures or designs of such art
his life was a grotesque , a mixture of sober realities and absurd incongruities
2. : sans serif
II. adjective
( sometimes -er/-est )
Etymology: French & Italian; French, from Italian grottesco, literally, of a cave, from grotta cave + -esco -esque — more at grotto
: of, relating to, having the characteristics of, or suggestive of the style of decorative art called grotesque: as
a. : fanciful , fantastic , bizarre
a grotesque Halloween costume
b. : comically incongruous or absurd : ridiculously ugly
a wizened and grotesque little old man
c. : having a quality of ludicrous caricature
a grotesque display of what was meant to be politeness
d. : departing markedly from the natural, the expected, or the typical (as by distortion, exaggeration) : atypical , eccentric
a grotesque form of animal life
Synonyms: see fantastic