What Is “-Esque” in “Statuesque”?

• The suffix -esque means “like” or “resembling.”
• There are a few common -esque words that you’ll find listed in the dictionary, but in your writing you can add -esque to almost any noun, including proper nouns.
• That said, you should use restraint. If you create too many -esque words in the same passage they’ll seem clumsy and repetitive.
• Don’t pile on extra suffixes that mean the same thing as -esque (e.g., “picturesque-like”).

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If someone called you statuesque, you would probably thank them for the compliment. However, if someone called you a statue, you might not find it so flattering. What does the suffix -esque mean? Can you add -esque to any word? Here come the answers!

-Esque Suffix

This suffix means “in the manner of, resembling.” So statuesque means suggestive of a statue in dignity, grace, or beauty. What are some other words ending in suffix -esque? Here are five common examples—arabesque, burlesque, gigantesque, grotesque, picturesque. Now that you know what the suffix means, try to guess the definitions before checking a dictionary.

How to Use -Esque

What do you do if you want to say what something or someone resembles and there’s no preexisting -esque word that fits? It’s not very often that English allows you to invent a word on the spot, but in this case it’s acceptable. You can add -esque to almost any noun. For example, if you think that your neighbor resembles Abraham Lincoln, you can describe his face as Lincolnesque. Let’s look at some examples of people creating their own -esque words.

By the time I hit 50, 55, I’m going to start to move more into a dolphin or lionesque stage … because there’s a depletion of melatonin as we age,” Breus said.

CBSNews.com

On this night, he was Namath-esque, driving the ball downfield against a couple of very good cornerbacks.

ESPN.com

With a red-tile roof and pediment supported by Romanesque columns, the three-story Phillips house next to The Crossing is expected to become part of the University of Central Missouri’s holdings.

Daily Star Journal

From the examples, you can see a couple of ways to use -esque in a sentence. You can attach it to the names of people or groups of people (Namath-esque and Romanesque). You can also attach it to a regular old noun (lionesque). Does -esque need a hyphen? No, the hyphen is optional. And don’t worry if your spelling checker puts a red squiggly line under your novel -esque words. The alert lets you know that the word isn’t in the spelling checker’s dictionary; that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

Does -Esque Need a Hyphen?

It’s generally unnecessary to use a hyphen with -esque words. But if the hyphen is unnecessary, why ever would you add it?

Imagine you were reading the ESPN article quoted above. If you aren’t familiar with football, you might not know that Namath is the name of a former football player. So you might look up Namathesque in a dictionary, but it won’t be there. The hyphen alerts readers that the -esque word might be a unique one. You would probably search for Namath on the Internet rather than in a dictionary.

In other cases, a hyphen can make an -esque word a little easier to read, especially if you’re adding -esque to a word that already ends in a vowel.

An -Esque Synonym

Is there another way to express the idea behind -esque? You could use an adjective. For instance, instead of saying that something is lionesque, you could use adjectives to describe which qualities remind you of a lion: proud, majestic, fear-inspiring, feline, etc. You could also see if the similar suffix -like works: The man was lionlike.

Can you add -esque to any word? Pretty much. What does the suffix -esque mean? It means “reminiscent of” or “in the style of.” What other questions do you have about -esque?

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from Grammarly Blog
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/esque/