poetic justice
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poetic justice
- /pəʊˌɛtɪk ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/ UK
- /poʊˌɛtɪk ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/ US
- [-ɾɪk-] US
Where it comes from
From poetic + justice, a variant of poetical justice, coined by the English literary critic Thomas Rymer (c. 1643 – 1713) in the work The Tragedies of the Last Age Consider’d and Examin’d (1678): see the quotation.
noun
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Synonym of poetical justice (“the idea that in a literary work such as a poem, virtue should be rewarded and vice punished”).
For though historical Juſtice might reſt there; yet poetical Juſtice could not be ſo content. It vvould require that the ſatisfaction be compleat and full, e're the Malefactor goes off the Stage, and nothing left to God Almighty, and another VVorld.
Similar: poetical justice
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The fact of someone experiencing what they deserve for their actions, especially when this happens in an ironic manner.
Operation PAR is the largest provider of addiction and mental health services in the Tampa Bay area. […] Now PAR is going to get poetic justice through an innovative concept which takes seized assets from drug kingpins and gives back to the community in the form of prevention and treatment programs.
Similar: poetical justice
Translations
Every language
noun fact of someone experiencing what they deserve for their actions, especially when this happens in an ironic manner
| 日本語 | 勧善懲悪 kanzenchōaku |
|---|---|
| Português | justiça poética |
| Français | justice immanente |
| Italiano | giustizia poetica |
| العربية | عدالة شعرية |
| עברית | צדק פואטי |
Talk about this word "poetic justice." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/poetic%20justice. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. poetic justice. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/poetic%20justice "poetic justice." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/poetic%20justice.Cite this
@misc{poetic_justice_2026,
title = {poetic justice},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/poetic%20justice},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
