1
as in surreal
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2
as in incomprehensible
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Recent Examples of Kafkaesque
Those who value and respect America but couldn’t find their way through the Kafkaesque immigration system deserve a chance to rectify their situation.
—
Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 10 Aug. 2025
In a Kafkaesque twist, Trump’s chart assigns Eswatini the lowest possible (10 percent) reciprocal tariff, despite the fact the nation applies the same external tariffs as Lesotho.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
To be fair, dealing with any healthcare bureaucracy in America is sure to be frustrating and annoying, and will most likely turn into a Kafkaesque nightmare.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 27 June 2025
Obtaining a permit to fly a drone in Nepal as a foreigner was a somewhat Kafkaesque exercise in patience.
—Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 6 May 2025
These are intentional Kafkaesque problems that the Trump Administration is creating.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2025
No one wants to have their family vacation turned into some Kafkaesque nightmare at the hands of ICE agents emboldened by the country's general climate of incipient fascism.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
That standard was used to suppress the speech of faculty, such as Northwestern professor Laura Kipnis, who in a Kafkaesque turn was the subject of a legal complaint by students under Title IX for writing an op-ed column criticizing the Obama view of Title IX.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2025
Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 10 Aug. 2025
In a Kafkaesque twist, Trump’s chart assigns Eswatini the lowest possible (10 percent) reciprocal tariff, despite the fact the nation applies the same external tariffs as Lesotho.
—Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
To be fair, dealing with any healthcare bureaucracy in America is sure to be frustrating and annoying, and will most likely turn into a Kafkaesque nightmare.
—Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 27 June 2025
Obtaining a permit to fly a drone in Nepal as a foreigner was a somewhat Kafkaesque exercise in patience.
—Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 6 May 2025
These are intentional Kafkaesque problems that the Trump Administration is creating.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2025
No one wants to have their family vacation turned into some Kafkaesque nightmare at the hands of ICE agents emboldened by the country's general climate of incipient fascism.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
That standard was used to suppress the speech of faculty, such as Northwestern professor Laura Kipnis, who in a Kafkaesque turn was the subject of a legal complaint by students under Title IX for writing an op-ed column criticizing the Obama view of Title IX.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Kafkaesque
Adjective
-
The show, then and now, combines a sentimental, satirical, soapy, sometimes surreal comedy with a straightforward medical show.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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That’s good, because ALL MONSTERS’ lyrics are dense with surreal, melancholic humor, informed by Haas’ experiences with ADHD and autism and their trans identity.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
Pitchfork,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The crime thriller featured Benicio Del Toro’s breakout role as the incomprehensible low-level criminal Fred Fenster.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
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This effort to throttle transparency of a project that is already the subject of international derision is incomprehensible as well as offensive to the public’s right to know.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Clinton did not name the member who asked the unusual questions, nor whether the lawmaker was a Republican or a Democrat.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
-
This is not unusual for our soon-to-be-deceased hero, who regularly risks injury and embarrassment to help people.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Indeed, they are considered one of those inexplicable phenomena only North Americans like, along with American football, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and widespread gun ownership.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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The visual journey reflected on what was and never will be again, the cruel separation of the brothers, and the inexplicable connection between life and cinema, memory and reality.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Quick business fixes seem overwhelming at times, irrational at others.—
Sarah Blaskovich,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Feb. 2026
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This is far from an irrational worry.—
Rebecca Boyle,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The beads are increasingly viewed as a problem, but a Mardi Gras without beads also seems unfathomable.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The beads are increasingly viewed as a problem, but a Mardi Gras without beads also seems unfathomable.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The backstory The island has been accumulating stories the way its volcanic soil accumulates roots, in layers, each one stranger than the last.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Feb. 2026
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These two worlds may seem like strange bedfellows—what does a luxury hotel in Switzerland’s Engadine valley have to do with the king of the 1980s downtown New York art scene?—
Laura May Todd,
Vogue,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Despite being grouped together under the Miao umbrella, the four groups have little in common today, and their languages are different enough as to be unintelligible between groups.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
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Transcribers often complained that the wax recordings were unintelligible—dictators needed to speak directly into the speaking tube, loudly, clearly, and at an appropriate pace, but many did not.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kafkaesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Kafkaesque. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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