Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

kafkaesque

 - 3 dictionary results

Kaf⋅ka⋅esque

[kahf-kuh-esk]
–adjective
1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or resembling the literary work of Franz Kafka: the Kafkaesque terror of the endless interrogations.
2. marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity: Kafkaesque bureaucracies.

Origin:
1945–50 Kafka + -esque
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To kafkaesque
Kaf·ka·esque   (käf'kə-ěsk')   
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).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

Kafkaesque 
1947, resembling situations from the writings of Franz Kafka (1883-1924), German-speaking Jewish novelist born in Prague, Austria-Hungary.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see kafkaesque on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: