Kafkaesque

Kafkaesque
/kahf'keuh esk"/, adj.
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.
[1945-50 KAFKA + -ESQUE]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Kafkaesque — is an auctorial descriptive which is used to describe concepts, situations, and ideas which are reminiscent of the literary work of Prague writer Franz Kafka, particularly his novels The Trial , The Castle and The Metamorphosis . The term, which… …   Wikipedia

  • Kafkaesque — prop. a. [fr. Franz Kafka, novelist; especially from his novels such as The Trial .] Frightening, threating, and bewildering in a vague and unexplicable way; of situations or regulations. Often used to describe illogical bureaucratic… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Kafkaesque — 1947, resembling situations from the writings of Franz Kafka (1883 1924), German speaking Jewish novelist born in Prague, Austria Hungary …   Etymology dictionary

  • Kafkaesque — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ relating to the Czech novelist Franz Kafka (1883 1924) or his nightmarish fictional world …   English terms dictionary

  • Kafkaesque — [käf΄kə esk′] adj. of, characteristic of, or like the writings of Kafka; specif., surreal, nightmarish, confusingly complex, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Kafkaesque — adjective Date: 1946 of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality < Kafkaesque bureaucratic delays > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Kafkaesque — adjective a) Marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity. Kafkaesque bureaucracies b) Marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger …   Wiktionary

  • kafkaesque — (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) (VOCABULARY WORD) a. [KAHF kuh ESK] surreal or nightmarish, as the writings of Franz Kafka. As the drug took effect, the captive s surroundings took on an increasingly Kafkaesque quality. SYN.: surreal, nightmarish,… …   English dictionary for students

  • Kafkaesque — Kaf•ka•esque [[t]ˌkɑf kəˈɛsk[/t]] adj. 1) lit. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the writings of Franz Kafka 2) marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity: Kafkaesque bureaucracies[/ex] • Etymology: 1945–50 …   From formal English to slang

  • Kafkaesque — Kaf|ka|esque [ ,kæfkə esk ] adjective complicated, confusing, and threatening …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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