1
as in surreal
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2
as in incomprehensible
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Recent Examples of Kafkaesque
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
His mirthless laugh might have suggested Kafkaesque persecution, or Hardyesque inexorability of fate.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Much like his success building houses in Muara Angke, Prabowo wants to sidestep Indonesia’s Kafkaesque bureaucracy with direct action.
—Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024
The film centers on Leopold Trepper, a World War II spy mastermind, who faced a Kafkaesque struggle in 1970s Poland.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024
Upon his Kafkaesque arrest and inexplicable 15-year imprisonment, Choi’s Oh Dae-su is an amnesiac hero in the vein of Jason Bourne, carrying the film by serving as a stand-in for any vengeful impulses that his audiences might harbor.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
More to Read Judge vacates conviction of man whose identity was stolen in ‘Kafkaesque’ case
April 11, 2024
A thief stole his identity, but nobody believed him.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
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
His mirthless laugh might have suggested Kafkaesque persecution, or Hardyesque inexorability of fate.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Much like his success building houses in Muara Angke, Prabowo wants to sidestep Indonesia’s Kafkaesque bureaucracy with direct action.
—Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024
The film centers on Leopold Trepper, a World War II spy mastermind, who faced a Kafkaesque struggle in 1970s Poland.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024
Upon his Kafkaesque arrest and inexplicable 15-year imprisonment, Choi’s Oh Dae-su is an amnesiac hero in the vein of Jason Bourne, carrying the film by serving as a stand-in for any vengeful impulses that his audiences might harbor.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
More to Read Judge vacates conviction of man whose identity was stolen in ‘Kafkaesque’ case
April 11, 2024
A thief stole his identity, but nobody believed him.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Kafkaesque
Adjective
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For someone who had spent most of his career with a low caesar, seeing himself with hair was surreal—and as expected, with growth also came grays.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
27 Jan. 2025
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Seeing a play written in response to Trump’s first Administration at the outset of his second feels surreal.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Also, incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
12 Jan. 2025
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Humans may occasionally make seemingly random, incomprehensible, and inconsistent mistakes, but such occurrences are rare and often indicative of more serious problems.—
Bruce Schneier,
IEEE Spectrum,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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While some of the operations may not have been unusual, ICE averaged 311 daily arrests in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. — Associated Press Trump says inflation isn’t his No. 1 issue.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Jan. 2025
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Hegseth showed up in person for the vote, which is unusual.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA TODAY,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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After two Mahomes completions, including a seemingly inexplicable 25-yard pass to wide open Kelce in the middle of the field, Harrison Butker made a game-tying 49-yard field goal as time expired.—
Jack Magruder,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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Due to bots requesting OTPs without follow-through in registration, developers and product managers are left grappling with inexplicable disparities between actual registered and paying users.—
Ethan Stone,
USA TODAY,
12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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There were some generational differences in regard to the reasons driving irrational purchases.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
WWD,
27 Jan. 2025
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The author suggests that large crowds can be made irrational, often due to charismatic leadership, and shows how most people choose to go with the grain. Group decisions can also reduce a sense of personal accountability as people find solidarity in what the masses want.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The sword at least offers some measure of closure; the retrieval effort a bit of agency in an unfathomable situation.—
Katie Kilkenny,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
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Unedited images beyond any horror movie ran in a continuous stream, showing mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers standing on the ledges, making the unfathomable decision to jump from the burning buildings.—
Dara Riordan,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Second, this rationale for regulation proved to be illogical and fatuous as conceded by U.S. Courts and the Federal Communications Commission in the decades since.—
Carine Harb,
Newsweek,
9 Jan. 2025
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Louis has to travel, and there’s the sense that Eva has nowhere else to go—a vague rationale that feels at once inevitable and illogical.—
Chloe Schama,
Vogue,
25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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According to Klippenstein, parts of the document are unintelligible due to Mangione's handwriting.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2024
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Instead, like 2022’s Smile, the end credits are accompanied by haunting unintelligible voices and sounds throughout.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
17 Oct. 2024
Articles Related to Kafkaesque
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Cite this Entry
“Kafkaesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Kafkaesque. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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