1
as in surreal
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2
as in incomprehensible
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Recent Examples of Kafkaesque
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Kafkaesque
Adjective
-
That must have felt like a surreal, full-circle moment to be coming back to this seminal character in your career while returning to a place that had meaning in real life.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Reminiscent of her striking visuals in the Louis Vuitton x Murakami collaboration, Zendaya appears larger than life—a playful, surreal perspective that echoes the artistic whimsy of that iconic collection.—
Mecca Pryor,
Essence,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Researching feels incomprehensible or inapplicable, especially as a business owner.—
Bree Manay,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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The answer may not be satisfying, but maybe that’s the point: the crime was always going to be incomprehensible.—
Bailey Seybolt,
People.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Although not musicians, the Goldbergs quickly realized there was something unusual about their 3-year-old boy.—
Steve Rothaus,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2025
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For one group of six girls living in Waterloo, Canada, their lives took an unusual turn when a couple of very territorial geese decided to claim their front lawn as their own.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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And then there’s the emotional, irrational lift of gilt and glory, the baroque architecture, the Renaissance art, the history stretching back to Jesus and Saint Peter.—
Howard Chua-Eoan,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2025
-
But here’s something important to consider: while the ick might seem like a spontaneous, irrational response, this might not always be the case.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 29 Apr. 2025.
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