1
as in surreal
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2
as in incomprehensible
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Recent Examples of Kafkaesque
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
But Ned was declared dead last month by the Social Security Administration, which led him and his wife on a Kafkaesque quest to prove there’s life left in this salty old Seattle seadog yet.
—Matthew J. Friedman, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
This Kafkaesque saga began late Friday, when President Donald Trump quietly signed an order availing himself of a wartime authority to carry out the mass deportations.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
This defiant and entertaining work playfully uses headshots and avatars to visualize clandestine audio recordings documenting years of Kafkaesque impositions, threats, and vital dissident art.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
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
But Ned was declared dead last month by the Social Security Administration, which led him and his wife on a Kafkaesque quest to prove there’s life left in this salty old Seattle seadog yet.
—Matthew J. Friedman, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
This Kafkaesque saga began late Friday, when President Donald Trump quietly signed an order availing himself of a wartime authority to carry out the mass deportations.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
This defiant and entertaining work playfully uses headshots and avatars to visualize clandestine audio recordings documenting years of Kafkaesque impositions, threats, and vital dissident art.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Kafkaesque
Adjective
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Leaving aside the slightly surreal notion that all this hullaballoo is happening over a truffle pig, Sarnoski drops a number of visual hints as to the metaphorical nature of this quest.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
28 May 2025
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Using your body to brace doors and windows Those who have been through major hurricanes may tell you of the surreal visual of watching their doors and windows bending to the pressure from the winds.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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Consumers have gotten used to a complicated annual plan selection, confusing industry jargon, and incomprehensible coverage policies.—
Dan Gingiss,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
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Every version of it, whether recorded in a studio, live with a full orchestra or only a piano, just rails through absolutely incomprehensible storytelling (something about virgins on a spaceship?) with a lusty guitar and smashed piano chords.—
Shana Naomi Krochmal,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the boys also casually tell stories about the deprivations of their previous life, a reminder of how unusual their childhoods have been by American standards.—
Sacha Pfeiffer,
NPR,
27 May 2025
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While the timing off the surgery was a bit unusual, Tremble’s importance to the lineup — and the quick turnaround for rehabilitation — made the decision palatable to the organization.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Oh, an inexplicable Rube Goldberg machine of death?—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
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But through a series of inexplicable events, the clinic was completely empty on Saturday when the car exploded outside.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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It's forged in the quiet, difficult moments when doing the right thing seems irrational.—
Victoria Vitchenco,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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Rejecting his challenge in February 2024, Britain’s High Court said the decision to change Harry’s security status was neither irrational nor procedurally unfair.—
Henry Austin,
NBC news,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Besting five runs would’ve been unfathomable for Toronto last week.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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Books, Arts & Manners Books The Second World War’s Masters and Commanders Rich Lowry The choices and predilections of leaders can bring national triumph, or catastrophe and unfathomable suffering.—
Mary Katharine Ham,
National Review,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Which was probably to be expected, given that making a new entry in this franchise doesn’t require jumping through too many illogical hoops or reinventing an outdated conceit.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
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His insight and unconventional approach to understanding human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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In a life-or-death emergency, voice signals might fade or be unintelligible; Morse code could punch through static and bad weather.—
Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
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Decisions once made by human engineers in the future are now being executed by models whose internal logic may be unintelligible even to their creators.—
Anuj Tyagi,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kafkaesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Kafkaesque. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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