A.Word.A.Day -- kafkaesque

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Dec 18, 2007

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This week's words
anthropomorphize
kafkaesque
dysphagia
excursive
jabberwocky

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A.Word.A.Day--kafkaesque

Kafkaesque (kaf-ka-ESK) adjective

Complex or illogical in a bizarre, surreal, or nightmarish manner.

[After the Czech author Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who depicted such fictional worlds in his novels.]

"In a Kafkaesque touch, [Dr. Andrej Holm's] lack of a cellphone -- hindering the efforts of German authorities to track him -- is deemed 'conspiratorial behavior'."
Neil Smith; German GWOT Misfire; The Nation (New York); Sep 24, 2007.

See more usage examples of kafkaesque in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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In those parts of the world where learning and science have prevailed, miracles have ceased; but in those parts of it as are barbarous and ignorant, miracles are still in vogue. -Ethan Allen, revolutionary (1738-1789)

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