1
as in surreal
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in incomprehensible
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Kafkaesque
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
Among its recent publications is Kheir’s Kafkaesque novel about an Egyptian man released from prison after serving a seven-year sentence who tries to get his old job as a translator back.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 25 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
In a particularly Kafkaesque explanation for why some of the Venezuelan migrants who have no criminal records were targeted for arrest and deportation, government lawyers argued in court that their lack of a criminal record is in itself cause for concern.
—Nisha Whitehead, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
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
Among its recent publications is Kheir’s Kafkaesque novel about an Egyptian man released from prison after serving a seven-year sentence who tries to get his old job as a translator back.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 25 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
In a particularly Kafkaesque explanation for why some of the Venezuelan migrants who have no criminal records were targeted for arrest and deportation, government lawyers argued in court that their lack of a criminal record is in itself cause for concern.
—Nisha Whitehead, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Kafkaesque
Adjective
-
Guests were surrounded by a surreal landscape of vanishing walls, floating furniture, and a creepy clown with a menacing smile.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Evie’s hero’s journey begins, as so many do, with a problem that spurs her to action: she, along with every other renter in New York City, is being evicted to make way for vacation homes, in a surreal, class-stratifying upheaval reminiscent of the pandemic lockdowns.—
Lora Kelley,
New Yorker,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Some events, perhaps especially those that are morally incomprehensible, need to be wrestled with on a human level.—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
3 Aug. 2025
-
Her scream resonated with the one in my chest while also being incomprehensible and beyond me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
Just to see John Turturro and Christopher Walken play lovers is so unexpected, so unusual and so well done.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Although unconventional, Blanco doubled down on his unusual shower routine in conversation with Gomez for Interview.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The decline, across the board, was almost inexplicable last season.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
-
The idea that this is how someone responds to pretty basic requests is sort of inexplicable.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
Nothing adds depth to an irascible curmudgeon quite like an irrational love of pets that do not love you back.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Our worries are often dismissed as irrational—planes are much safer than cars, etc.—
Elaine Godfrey,
The Atlantic,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
And beyond the unfathomable human toll, the costs to consumers and businesses are surging.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
22 July 2025
-
As the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches in late August, viewers can expect a slew of reflective documentaries confronting that fathomable/unfathomable dichotomy — projects made without expectations of equaling When the Levees Broke, but with a different imperative in mind.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
The system is confusing, ill-explained and illogical.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
-
The conference also welcomes back Maryland, which always felt more at home there, and rids itself of its illogical Bay Area/Dallas outposts.—
Jim Root,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Airports and airplanes do not have a monopoly on unintelligible announcements.—
Michel A. Ibrahim,
Baltimore Sun,
22 June 2025
-
As satire, Next to Heaven is unintelligible, as though someone is universalizing their own hangups and then skewering them for clout.—
Book Marks
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kafkaesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Kafkaesque. Accessed 15 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share