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
  • With its möbius-strip-esque structure, this surreal social class satire about grief, urban alienation and gentrification in the city of Lagos explores the lost hope of the Nigerian dream.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The chance to observe a total solar eclipse doesn't come along very often and is truly surreal and magical.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 13 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
  • At the recommendation of assistant director of player personnel Jason Stein, the Mets signed Yan to a two-year minor-league deal, an unusual contract for a healthy pitcher.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Her parents approach sexuality head on, almost with glee, which is certainly unusual for their time and place.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of unusual
Adjective
  • Jones encapsulates Blackpool’s inexplicable pull and its inevitable paralysis.
    — George Francis Lee, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
  • And for some inexplicable reason, her own coach is defending the player who delivered it.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of inexplicable
Adjective
  • The policy is particularly irrational when applied to bicyclists and pedestrians.
    — Jeffrey T. Donner, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
  • For all the film focuses on Carlson’s irrational attempts to peg the murder on gay people, the actual gay man Tom disappears from the narrative for long periods of time.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 July 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • Some people get excited about the idea of building product scaffolding at unfathomable scale.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Even for those of us who, for some unfathomable reason are not fascinated by high fashion history, this is an incredibly entertaining watch.
    — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfathomable
Adjective
  • The explanation behind this family man’s strange case is well chronicled in many Chicago and New York news stories.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Symptoms include anxiety, hypervigilance, confusion and mania, and taking on activities that might be considered strange.
    — Deborah Becker, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • Claypool’s voice, formerly a sharp and declarative figure in the mix, slinks down into silty waters, often unintelligible and almost always emotionally ambiguous.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The world premiere on Sunday – in the presence of Illumination boss Chris Meledandri and director Pierre Coffin, who is also the origin of the minions’ unintelligible chatter – kicks off one of the biggest Annecy Film Festival’s yet.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 June 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 18 Aug. 2026.

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