1
as in surreal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in incomprehensible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
The plot revolves around the Black protagonist’s Kafkaesque trial before the U.S. Supreme Court for supposedly attempting to restore slavery and segregation in his small, agrarian community near Los Angeles, and our hero’s reflections on what led him to this point.
—Barbara Ellis, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2025
Yet TikTok is still available in the U.S. in some sort of Kafkaesque legal limbo because President Trump refuses to enforce the law on the books.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025
Still, the most difficult aspect of the crisis is not the need to prepare for an unspecified economic threat from a close ally, but the need to cope with a sudden sense of almost Kafkaesque absurdity.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2025
The Productivity Paradox Haly’s future is snagged in a heartbreaking and maddening plot twist, one that may seem all too familiar in our Kafkaesque healthcare system.
—Naveen Rao, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
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
The plot revolves around the Black protagonist’s Kafkaesque trial before the U.S. Supreme Court for supposedly attempting to restore slavery and segregation in his small, agrarian community near Los Angeles, and our hero’s reflections on what led him to this point.
—Barbara Ellis, The Denver Post, 3 Feb. 2025
Yet TikTok is still available in the U.S. in some sort of Kafkaesque legal limbo because President Trump refuses to enforce the law on the books.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025
Still, the most difficult aspect of the crisis is not the need to prepare for an unspecified economic threat from a close ally, but the need to cope with a sudden sense of almost Kafkaesque absurdity.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2025
The Productivity Paradox Haly’s future is snagged in a heartbreaking and maddening plot twist, one that may seem all too familiar in our Kafkaesque healthcare system.
—Naveen Rao, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Kafkaesque
Adjective
-
The note kicked off a surreal, contentious exchange between Williams and Grenell, which the former shared screenshots of on Instagram.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2025
-
There followed a surreal half-time chat between Chapman and Poyet about his dismissal, with the game relegated to a sideshow, as fellow pundit Efan Ekoku shifted awkwardly in his seat.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
When technology changes so quickly that even Millennials are shaking their heads at Gen Z’s incomprehensible habits, what chance do ageing parents have to stay a step ahead of their kids?—
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
This is something incomprehensible to any human being.—
Caitlin McFall,
Fox News,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Canvas’s menu feature flavors such as Arabic coffee and karak chai and biscuits, but Al Marri also enjoys experimenting with unusual combinations, looking outside the dessert realm for ideas.—
Nicola Chilton,
AFAR Media,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Read More | McClatchy News continues to follow the discovery of the most unusual and intriguing new species.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The choice to center a film that primarily exists as a primer on the Gospels for young viewers around the parenting struggles of a 19th century literary figure who is not exactly at the forefront of culture is inexplicable.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Doncic was traded seemingly at the peak of his career, which made the trade even more shocking and inexplicable.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Added to the chaos is the underlying rudimentary calculation of tariff levels that have produced wildly uneven and irrational effects on trading partners with no readily discernible policy value.—
Jerrold Lundquist,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The characters are believably upset and irrational for much of the play.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The 24-year-old’s value will remain high and losing him on a free when his contract expires is unfathomable.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the trajectory the U.S. and world economy are on will create an epic global dislocation, with currently massive and unfathomable costs.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, NFTs experienced what might be on the most rapid rises in value followed by a devastating cycle of value destruction, complete with instances of fraud, illogical business models, and speculation.—
Sean Stein Smith,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Felonious Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes has launched another appeal of her conviction and sentence, claiming that a three-judge panel that shot down her first appeal in February was confused on one point, illogical on another, and made factual mistakes in hearing her case.—
Mercury News,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
From our review: Khan’s lack of screen presence, toothless mixed martial arts sequences and unintelligible editing further knock the film down.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The rest of the freestyle was unintelligible, and it was not shot well, either.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kafkaesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Kafkaesque. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share