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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

grotesque.

Distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal, especially in a hideous way.

9 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ɡɹəʊˈtɛsk/UK/ɡɹoʊˈtɛsk/US

  1. Distorted and unnatural in shape or size; abnormal, especially in a hideous way.

  2. Disgusting or otherwise viscerally revolting.

  3. Sans serif.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Ancient Greek κρύπτω (krúptō) Ancient Greek κρυπτή (kruptḗ)bor. Latin crypta Italian grotta Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Vulgar Latin -iscus Italian -esco Italian grottescobor. Middle French grotesquebor. English grotesque Borrowed from Middle French grotesque, from Italian grottesco, from grotta (“cave”) + -esco (relational suffix). By surface analysis, grotto + -esque. Compare French grotesque, English grotto.

noun/ɡɹəʊˈtɛsk/UK/ɡɹoʊˈtɛsk/US

  1. A style of ornamentation characterized by fanciful combinations of intertwined forms.

    countable · uncountable

  2. Anything grotesque.

    countable · uncountable

  3. A sans serif typeface.

    countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Ancient Greek κρύπτω (krúptō) Ancient Greek κρυπτή (kruptḗ)bor. Latin crypta Italian grotta Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Vulgar Latin -iscus Italian -esco Italian grottescobor. Middle French grotesquebor. English grotesque Borrowed from Middle French grotesque, from Italian grottesco, from grotta (“cave”) + -esco (relational suffix). By surface analysis, grotto + -esque. Compare French grotesque, English grotto.

verb/ɡɹəʊˈtɛsk/UK/ɡɹoʊˈtɛsk/US

  1. To make grotesque.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Ancient Greek κρύπτω (krúptō) Ancient Greek κρυπτή (kruptḗ)bor. Latin crypta Italian grotta Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Vulgar Latin -iscus Italian -esco Italian grottescobor. Middle French grotesquebor. English grotesque Borrowed from Middle French grotesque, from Italian grottesco, from grotta (“cave”) + -esco (relational suffix). By surface analysis, grotto + -esque. Compare French grotesque, English grotto.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.