grotesque

Universal Words adjective, noun adjective 1 strange in a way that is unpleasant or offensive: a grotesque distortion of the truth * The story was too grotesque to believe. * It's grotesque to expect a person of her experience to work for so little money. 2 extremely ugly in a strange way, often causing fear or laughter: a grotesque building / figure * tribal dancers wearing grotesque masks grotesquely adverb: He was a grotesquely inappropriate choice of speaker. noun 1 [C] a person who is extremely ugly in a strange way, especially in a book or painting 2 (the grotesque) [sing.] a style of art using grotesque figures and designs