1. decorative designs or figures that combine human, animal, and plant forms in a distorted or fantastical way
Usage: art and architecture
2. things or people that are comically or repulsively ugly or distorted

Examples

• The cathedral’s walls were adorned with elaborate grotesques featuring twisted vines and mythical creatures.
• Medieval manuscripts often included grotesques in their margins.
• The artist specialized in painting grotesques that blended human faces with animal features.
• The funhouse was filled with grotesques designed to startle visitors.
• Renaissance architects incorporated grotesques into their decorative schemes.
• The novel described the carnival performers as a collection of grotesques.
• Ancient Roman grotesques inspired many later decorative arts.