grotesque

Word family

gro·tesque1 /ɡrəʊˈtesk $ ɡroʊ-/ adjectiveadj

1 SHOCKunpleasant, shocking, and offensive 怪诞的，荒唐的

It’s grotesque to portray peace campaigners as unpatriotic.

把和平运动的倡导者说成是不爱国，这很荒唐。

By modern standards, the treatment of prisoners was grotesque.

按照现代标准来看，这样对待囚犯很荒唐。

2 UGLYextremely ugly in a strange or unnatural way 极丑陋的，怪异的

a grotesque figure with a huge head

有着硕大脑袋的怪异人像

—grotesquely adverbadv

Examples from the Corpus

grotesque• One can only wonder At so grotesque a blunder.• The scaffolding tumbled down, burying him under a grotesque criss-cross of beams and posts.• He began to run about in front of her, to turn, to perform grotesque dance movements that were not without some grace.• I was not her troublesome doll, then, her grotesque duty.• Suddenly the grotesque figure of the hunchback Quasimodo loomed out of the darkness.• The news showed grotesque film clips of people being attacked by dogs.• The boy was twisting one side of his face in grotesque imitation of his grandfather.• In all my fatty, even grotesque innocence they consumed me, wherever I went, on whomever I smiled.• It also brings with it bad luck and a grotesque litany of deaths.• "The disease can also cause grotesque lumps under the skin, " Ketch said.• At the very least I claim to be pitiful, grotesque, or appalling.• In the bar, a single candle threw grotesque shadows across the ceiling.

grotesque2 noun

1. [countableC]UGLY a picture, sculpture etc of someone who is strangely ugly 奇形怪状的人像

2. the grotesque Aa grotesque style in art 〔艺术中的〕怪诞风格

Examples from the Corpus

grotesque• The rods are carved in the form of a series of gargoyle faces and grotesques, but are harmless.• He eased inside Rosie with her pants still on, they rolled around each other like grotesques.

Origin grotesque1

(1500-1600) French Old Italian (pittura) grottesca “cave painting”, from grotta; → GROTTO

gro·tesque1 adjectiveadjgrotesque2 noun

Chinese

Syllable

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