Kafkaesque

adjective

Definition of Kafkaesquenext
1
as in surreal

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2
as in incomprehensible

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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
  • For Farrar, now 38, unintentionally becoming the Nostradamus of a surreal and often very dumb political era has been a bizarre experience — haunting, even.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Parker’s longtime design philosophy is to reinterpret familiar things as surreal objects.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of surreal
Adjective
  • Painfully aware of this, Shawn waited for one of the drunk old men to comment, heckle, make one of those incomprehensible jokes that drew rude laughter from adults.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Sure, the story is incomprehensible, and Dylan is far from a great actor.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of incomprehensible
Adjective
  • The team now points to interactions between manganese and ytterbium as a possible source of the unusual Hall response.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The unusual diplomatic rebuke underscored the mistrust between the two countries.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of unusual
Adjective
  • Keeping her husband happy yet oblivious—managing his baby fever with staged fake miscarriages—only goes so far when Martha begins suffering an inexplicable illness that culminates in an impossible pregnancy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Remedy games encourage a kind of obsession and fascination from players, not just with inexplicable lore but with thick atmosphere.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of inexplicable
Adjective
  • Between restructuring waves, automation fears and flattening hierarchies, that concern isn’t always irrational.
    — Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The fact, in other words, that there often isn’t a right answer or a clear victor—and that rational people are subject to irrational forces within and above them.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of irrational
Adjective
  • And given Lambert’s own experiences, might even seem unfathomable.
    — Katie McCurdy, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • That might seem almost unfathomable to anyone familiar with the last few years of FSU football, but there's still the lingering questions of Norvell's buyout now coupled with a new AD trying to get his footing in an absolute mess of a situation.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfathomable
Adjective
  • Serena tells him his former boss Elliott Wyatt recommended him highly, which is strange given his former reticence.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Neither does the strange quiet when the trip home begins with one fewer passenger.
    — Robert Duffer, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • Then Mikayla makes an almost unintelligible crack about Doug, which sends Taylor back into a rage spiral.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Assuming viewers understood the history of English soccer — or even the offside rule — could make the broadcasts unintelligible for new fans who understood neither.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 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 6 Oct. 2026.

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