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 episode ends with a surreal, graphic deepfake scene of a totally nude Donald Trump stumbling around a desert.—
Nick Marx,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
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The flashbacks of a city shut down, subways closed, and the surreal journey home.—
Ayisha Miracle Mendez,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, the movie isn’t really scary at all — just extremely weird, as well as increasingly incomprehensible toward the end.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Because our mulch is rubber, this seemed unusual, and out of caution, the guardian was called immediately.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Routh, who is representing himself, has filed unusual motions requesting strippers and a golf round with the president.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The site compiles information about the 196 seemingly inexplicable events over the history of the church related to the Eucharist, which the faithful believe is the body of Christ.—
Jessie Wardarski,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Losing Fed independence is like giving free rein to emotional, irrational decision making.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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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
Adjective
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For a disaster so vast and so unfathomable, some sort of grounding feels necessary, some little point to hold on to, some faces to remember, but even the actual story of the bus and its temporary inhabitants feels a touch too small for the grand scale Greengrass is working on here.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
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And the way that people marginalize and attack the Trans community, especially politically, is unfathomable to me, and so unbearably cruel.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Consider Turkey, where the president’s unconventional, illogical view that lower interest rates would tame inflation has led to a yearslong price spiral and the collapse of the country’s currency.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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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
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 14 Sep. 2025.
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