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
Among its recent publications is Kheir’s Kafkaesque novel about an Egyptian man released from prison after serving a seven-year sentence who tries to get his old job as a translator back.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 25 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
Among its recent publications is Kheir’s Kafkaesque novel about an Egyptian man released from prison after serving a seven-year sentence who tries to get his old job as a translator back.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 25 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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But coming up to it and seeing the smoke and seeing the fire department and the debris all over the road was just surreal.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
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Over the past week alone the surreal musical was watched 26 million times for 43.3 million hours.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Some events, perhaps especially those that are morally incomprehensible, need to be wrestled with on a human level.—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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To many others, the value of these relationships is incomprehensible.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Although unusual, this display is likely not going to be as strong as 2024’s extreme G5 geomagnetic storms, the most powerful for two decades.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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Not providing the original provenance document is considered unusual in the art world but the objects were accepted regardless, court filings show.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Saints' inexplicable decision to trade their entire draft class to select running back Ricky Williams with the fifth pick of the 1999 NFL Draft.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
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Nor can words effectively describe the inexplicable heaviness of your eyelids during a good cuddle session.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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On the irrational front, Cramer pointed to recent IPOs such as Circle, Figma and Bullish, that each saw explosive gains after their debuts.—
Ali McCadden,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
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But exactly the opposite needs to happen: the patient needs to enact her struggle in the room, to be messy, irrational, resentful, out of control.—
Leslie Jamison,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But carrying around a little mini garbage can for our butts is unfathomable.—
Jeremy D. Larson,
Pitchfork,
14 Aug. 2025
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Now, Caron and Kirby have teamed up again for this emotional roller coaster of a film, with Lynette going to unfathomable lengths to protect her family’s future.—
Jeff Conway,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Further, this assumes AI systems are actually free from the biases present in their training data, which is illogical.—
Luis E. Romero,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Other red flags include excessive washing, and avoidance of certain toys or places due to fears and rituals that seem illogical or disconnected from the situation.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 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 4 Sep. 2025.
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