poetical justice

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poetical justice

/pəʊˌɛtɪkl̩ ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/ UK
/poʊˌɛtɪk(ə)l ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/ US
[-ɾɪk-] US

Where it comes from

From 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

uncountable 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: poetic justice
broadly, uncountable Synonym of poetic justice (“the fact of someone experiencing what they deserve for their actions, especially when this happens in an ironic manner”).
Similar: poetic justice

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MLA

"poetical justice." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/poetical%20justice. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

poetical justice. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/poetical%20justice

Chicago

"poetical justice." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/poetical%20justice.

BibTeX

@misc{poetical_justice_2026,
  title = {poetical justice},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/poetical%20justice},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}