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
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The Testament of Ann Lee, a staggering, surreal musical charting the rise of the 18th-century religious sect the Shakers and their titular leader, as embodied by a wild-haired, convulsing Amanda Seyfried.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
1 Sep. 2025
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The manic tapping of stenos, the sounds of shuffling feet, and the rustles of discomfort in the room as the Chuschas rouse to defend one of their beloved leaders all contribute to a surreal, horror movie-like soundscape.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Then there’s an incomprehensible scene in which Stuhlbarg’s Frederik storms in and out of the kitchen angrily, having turned his music up to an unlistenable volume, while Alma and Maggie—a guest in their home that evening—try to have a serious conversation.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
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The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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What’s unusual, in this case, is that the accounts start at birth, and with a $1,000 balance.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
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Another unusual item on display is the up-and-down button from the elevator to the observation tower.—
Myrna Petlicki,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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And the book’s bracingly straightforward descriptions of often inexplicable behaviors and thought processes, become the hard, stark edges of a sculptural black-and-white photography that is all the more mysterious for apparently having nothing to hide.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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The Saints' inexplicable decision to trade their entire draft class to select running back Ricky Williams with the fifth pick of the 1999 NFL Draft.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Maura’s performance makes Maria Angeles so magnetic and eccentric — earthily practical on some matters, dizzily irrational on others, and sympathetically true to herself on all fronts — that all the film’s other players want for detail and texture by comparison.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
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The roll call of people across the decades who have had access to nuclear weapons includes many who are considerably less rational than the irrational rest of us.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The years slowly moved away from us, its silence uncanny, but the smell of carcasses was unfathomable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
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The scale of the devastation is unfathomable.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Sure, it's been criticized for what some call over-the-top clichés and illogical plot twists, but for some, at least, that's part of the fun.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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Further, this assumes AI systems are actually free from the biases present in their training data, which is illogical.—
Luis E. Romero,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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However, audio quality can make or break social media content and while some people can tolerate less-than-perfect video, poor and unintelligible sound often has audiences swiping left.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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Airports and airplanes do not have a monopoly on unintelligible announcements.—
Michel A. Ibrahim,
Baltimore Sun,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kafkaesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Kafkaesque. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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