Kaf·ka·esque

(käf′kə-ĕsk′)

adj.

1. Of or relating to Franz Kafka or his writings.

2. Marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger: "Kafkaesque fantasies of the impassive interrogation, the false trial, the confiscated passport ... haunt his innocence" (New Yorker).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Kaf•ka•esque

(ˌkɑf kəˈɛsk)

adj.

1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the writings of Franz Kafka.

2. marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity: Kafkaesque bureaucracies.

[1945–50]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	Kafkaesque - relating to or in the manner of Franz Kafka or his writings
	2.	kafkaesque - characterized by surreal distortion and a sense of impending danger; "the kafkaesque terror of the endless interrogations" unrealistic - not realistic; "unrealistic expectations"; "prices at unrealistic high levels"

Translations

kafkaesco

кафкианский

Kafkaesque

[ˌkæfkəˈesk] ADJ → kafkiano

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Kafkaesque

adj → kafkaesk

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in periodicals archive

TRANSIT Cert 12A Running time 102mins Thought-provoking modern day drama of desperation sees a man caught in a totalitarian Kafkaesque nightmare when he assumes a dead man's identity while attempting to flee France.

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While the findings of that probe have yet if ever to be shared, the fact that no official wishes to claim the animus for either this or the resurrected attempt to target independent and critical voices is positively Kafkaesque. With truth so much stranger than fiction, perhaps it is futile even dangerous to demand who really is behind Pakistan's draconian descent, with all its attendant absurdities.

Muzzling critical voices

Jalaal Kafkaesque thanked Rosemary for her selfless service to the people.

I'm adapting to new life of blindness - Rosemary

For the vast majority of vulnerable adults and older people they languish in a Kafkaesque world not knowing when their basic human rights will be met.

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Instead, firms need absolute clarity on what the UK immigration system will look like, when new rules will take effect, and whether government has the courage to take a scythe to the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the Home Office.

A need for clear answers

Bouanani's novel seems like a Kafkaesque novel at first, but it is layered with decades of insight into social and political changes.

Book Review: A descent into an abyss of darkness, dreams and forgotten pasts

Dr Holmberg described her experience as a "Kafkaesque nightmare".

Home Office sends warning letters in error

Cameron failed to reform it and French leader Macron is about to storm this Kafkaesque impenetrable bureaucracy and of course will ultimately fail.

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Sara Shaarawi, the Egyptian playwright who co-produced the show, and the 10 others set to perform, described the process of acquiring visas as "Kafkaesque" to The Stage website.

Syrian show in Edinburg Fringe cancelled

Vallejo has his own unique brand of Latin-American experimentalism with a Kafkaesque flair.

Scales

Cancer patients in the UK are having to beg for treat-ment in a "Kafkaesque" system after NHS drug cuts, says a report by University College London.

This week; Your health