Kafkaesque

adjective

Definition of Kafkaesquenext
1
as in surreal

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in incomprehensible

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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 For the average soccer fan, the quest for 2026 World Cup tickets started last year when FIFA opened its Kafkaesque lottery system. — Natalie B. Compton, Washington Post, 5 June 2026 Much of the book hovers on the edge of reality before diving into moments of Kafkaesque disorder. — Via Catapult, Literary Hub, 5 June 2026 On some level, Hasna senses that such a soulless, Kafkaesque environment has to be hiding worse evils than paycheck withholding and infrequent bathroom breaks. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 18 May 2026 One major limiting factor for figure skating’s broadcast opportunities has been the sport’s reliance on music, the licensing for which has required Kafkaesque levels of clearance, even in the lead-up to Milan. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 24 Mar. 2026 The funniest scenes in One Battle After Another find Leonardo DiCaprio’s explosives expert locked in a Kafkaesque squabble with an operator on a revolutionary hotline. — Craigh Barboza, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026 Since then, bank customers have complained that they’re still getting cut out of the financial system, but that firms won’t say why — leaving them in a Kafkaesque limbo. — Tom Schoenberg, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026 The high court agreed, in a 5-4 decision with Kafkaesque logic. — Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Kafkaesque
  1. surreal
  2. incomprehensible
  3. unusual
  4. inexplicable
  5. irrational
  6. unfathomable
  7. strange
  8. unintelligible
Adjective
  • The ideas suggest that Julie and Billy remain ideally equipped to take on an increasingly surreal era of looksmaxxing, brand integration, nepo babies, prestige dramedies and vertical video.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
  • That plot twist gives Chase the opportunity to send Gemma into the Further, dreaming up all sorts of frighteningly surreal environments.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of surreal
Adjective
  • Farnaby’s character, a thickly-accented and mostly-incomprehensible farmer, was, of course, called Barry.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The scale of the commercial-military symbiosis between Washington and Silicon Valley is almost incomprehensible.
    — Alex Capri, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of incomprehensible
Adjective
  • Its unusual features give it a curious, almost surprised expression, helping people connect with a species rarely seen outside its coral home.
    — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers used Jefferson Lab’s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) to produce the experiment’s unusual probe.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of unusual
Adjective
  • The boring rosters, the passive-aggressive press conferences, the endless parade of mediocre seasons — cresting and falling with an inexplicable 2021 and 2026 — has been brutal to watch.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The stakes cooled considerably the past two seasons with Michigan out of Playoff contention and Ohio State safely in the 12-team field both years (even after suffering a second loss in that inexplicable 2024 game).
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of inexplicable
Adjective
  • But the question remained unsolved for polygons with irrational angles.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As a result, the argument goes, today's spending is irrational because the hardware would need to be replaced too frequently to generate an attractive return on investment, known as ROI.
    — , CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • The blur outside becomes enveloping and unfathomable; the universe inside the car evolves as the friends invent tension-defusing rituals to keep from screaming at one another.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Peart was a one-of-a-kind virtuoso, one of the greatest drummers rock ever knew, his monstrously complex parts so intrinsic to Rush’s sound that the idea of replacing him long seemed unfathomable.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfathomable
Adjective
  • Twenty-four hours after moving to London from New Zealand, Lavanda wanted to go out for a cocktail but felt strange going alone.
    — Amen Galinato, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • There are a lot of on-the-road songs about travels through this strange, heartbreaking, and beautiful planet.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • Incomplete, corrupted, untimely, or unintelligible Submissions or Submission Forms will be disqualified.
    — August 16, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
  • When the surveillance footage resumes about an hour later, a man can be heard shouting, but the words are unintelligible, and a vehicle horn sounds.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of unintelligible

Browse Nearby Words

kaffeeklatsches
Kafkaesque
kahuna
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Cite this Entry

“Kafkaesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Kafkaesque. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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