1
as in surreal
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2
as in incomprehensible
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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
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However, everything since has been a surreal experience for the actress.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Many have observed that Gen Z has turned to Dadaist humor as a response to the surreal conditions of the present day.—
James Factora,
Them.,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Even though arrests have been made, first-degree murder charges have been filed and the victim laid to rest, this case remains an incomprehensible display of human malice.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC News,
8 Mar. 2025
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Upon agreement, their dialogue shifts to a series of sounds incomprehensible to humans.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Cruise cancellations are relatively unusual but can happen for a number of other reasons, including when a ship is chartered or needs to go to dry dock.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
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Instead of relying on old red flags like misspellings or poor grammar, employees should be trained to identify behavioral anomalies, such as unexpected requests for urgent financial transactions or unusual communication patterns.—
Stephen Moore,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Secondly, the money doesn't line up properly, unless the Cowboys for some inexplicable reason are willing to take back Deshaun Watson.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
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My case is a bit more extreme because the pain is inexplicable, but the mind is very important — very, very important.—
Mario Cortegana,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But there is plenty of institutional trading interest in digital assets, perhaps in part because for many hedge funds volatility equates to profit making opportunities, even if the trading is irrational.—
Javier Paz,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Amsterdam set up a hotline last month to report concerns about irrational behavior.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Ten months ago, this moment would have seemed almost unfathomable.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2025
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The unfathomable is unsettling, and that makes the most banal thought a shelter.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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When the world is falling apart, all the illogical perceptions fall away, leaving only what matters standing, and that which matters is no longer veiled by those perceptions.—
Cathrine Todd,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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That such sentimentality can come across in a story as disturbing as Mickey’s may sound illogical.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Followers criticized TikToker Easton Simpson for using his spot at the Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes premiere to prank the film’s actors by asking unintelligible questions.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2025
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The sometimes unintelligible lyrics roll out over spare acoustic guitar in what sounds like an unfinished demo.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
16 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kafkaesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Kafkaesque. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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