grotesque
Bizarrely ugly figure
Grotesque describes something distorted, ugly, or bizarrely unnatural—often combining the disturbing with the absurd.
A grotesque figure might have exaggerated or misshapen features.
Grotesque behavior is shockingly inappropriate.
The word carries a sense of fascinated repulsion: The trial revealed grotesque details of the crime.
As a noun, a grotesque is a fantastical carved figure, like those on medieval cathedrals, or a style of ornamental design featuring strange hybrid creatures and tangled forms.
Abnormally or poorly formed
- deformedAbnormally shaped
- contortedTwisted unnaturally
- warpedBent out of true
- twistedWound around itself
gnarled · disfigured · malformed · misproportioned · crooked · mangled · freakish · abnormal
Decorative architectural waterspout
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
- cathedralBishop's principal church
- buttressArchitectural wall reinforcement
- spireTapering architectural peak
vault · tracery · corbel · finial · boss · capital · frieze · cornice
Extremely unpleasant to see
- ghoulishFascinated by death grotesquely
- fiendishExtremely cruel or wicked
- beastlySavagely cruel or unpleasant
- ogreishLike a man-eating giant
troll-like · repulsive · loathsome · abominable · frightful · horrific · terrifying · dreadful
Strikingly unconventional
- fantasticalExtravagantly unreal or imaginary
- nightmarishFrightening like bad dreams
- kafkaesqueNightmarishly illogical and bureaucratic
- phantasmagoricBizarrely dreamlike and shifting
hallucinatory · dreamlike · otherworldly · absurd · uncanny · strange · weird · outlandish
Flowing ornamental design
- capriccioFreeform lively composition
- bas-reliefSculpture projecting slightly
- frescoWet plaster painting technique
- baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
rococo · ornamentation · caricature · fantastical · whimsical · expressionism · surrealism · mannerism
Unhealthily drawn to darkness
- ghastlyTerrifyingly horrible or pale
- grislyShockingly horrific
- cadaverousResembling the deceased
- sepulchralRelating to burial chambers
funereal · spectral · eerie · haunting · grim · chilling · deathly · phantasmal
misshapen
Abnormally or poorly formed
twisted · gnarled · disfigured · malformed · misproportioned · crooked · mangled · freakish · abnormal · irregular
gargoyle
Decorative architectural waterspout
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
- cathedralBishop's principal church
- buttressArchitectural wall reinforcement
spire · vault · tracery · corbel · finial · boss · capital · frieze · cornice · colonnade
hideous
Extremely unpleasant to see
- ghoulishFascinated by death grotesquely
- fiendishExtremely cruel or wicked
- beastlySavagely cruel or unpleasant
ogreish · troll-like · repulsive · loathsome · abominable · frightful · horrific · terrifying · dreadful · eldritch
bizarre
Strikingly unconventional
- fantasticalExtravagantly unreal or imaginary
- nightmarishFrightening like bad dreams
- kafkaesqueNightmarishly illogical and bureaucratic
phantasmagoric · hallucinatory · dreamlike · otherworldly · absurd · uncanny · strange · weird · outlandish · peculiar
arabesque
Flowing ornamental design
- capriccioFreeform lively composition
- bas-reliefSculpture projecting slightly
- frescoWet plaster painting technique
baroque · rococo · ornamentation · caricature · fantastical · whimsical · expressionism · surrealism · mannerism · decorative
morbid
Unhealthily drawn to darkness
- ghastlyTerrifyingly horrible or pale
- grislyShockingly horrific
- cadaverousResembling the deceased
sepulchral · funereal · spectral · eerie · haunting · grim · chilling · deathly · phantasmal · corpselike
caricature
Exaggerated comic depiction
burlesque · mockery · exaggeration · travesty · spoof · farce · ridicule · send-up · pastiche · cartoon
- aestheticsaesthetics, aesthetic, beauty, beautiful, ugly
- horrorhorror, terror, fear, dread, haunted
- attractivenessattractive, beautiful, gorgeous, handsome, pretty
- Gothic horrorghost story, haunted houses, Dracula, vampires, Frankenstein
- Odditiescuriosity, curio, unusual, odd, strange
- uglyugly, hideous, unsightly, repulsive, ghastly
grotesquebeautiful
Extremely pleasing aesthetically
lovely · gorgeous · pretty · attractive · appealing
grotesqueshapely
Attractively curved or formed
graceful · symmetrical · elegant · harmonious · balanced
- the grotesqueDisturbing aesthetic ugliness
- grotesque imageryDisturbing, distorted depictions
- grotesque charactersDisturbingly strange fictional beings
- grotesque figuresUgly ornamental sculptures
grotesquely, grotesques, grotesquerie, grotesqueries, grotesqueness