Word of the Day

: March 19, 2011

Kafkaesque

adjective kahf-kuh-ESK

What It Means

: of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially : having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality

Kafkaesque in Context

Though he had always filed his taxes swiftly, completely, and with full documentation, Michael was chosen to go through the Kafkaesque experience of being audited.

"A Kafkaesque new system, supposed to make it easier for younger family members to act for elderly relatives, has triggered widespread confusion leading to delays, frustrations and unpaid bills." -- From an article by Teresa Hunter in The Guardian (London, England), February 7, 2011

Did You Know?

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a Czech-born German-language writer whose surreal fiction vividly expressed the anxiety, alienation, and powerlessness of the individual in the 20th century. Kafka's work is characterized by nightmarish settings in which characters are crushed by nonsensical, blind authority. Thus, the word "Kafkaesque" is often applied to bizarre and impersonal administrative situations where the individual feels powerless to understand or control what is happening. The first recorded appearance of "Kafkaesque" in English was in 1946.