poetic justice

noun

: an outcome in which vice is punished and virtue rewarded usually in a manner peculiarly or ironically appropriate

Examples of poetic justice in a Sentence

After the way he treated his staff, it was poetic justice that he lost his job.

Recent Examples on the Web The return of the acres of ancestral lands is poetic justice to the Shasta Indians. —

Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 July 2024 Oddly enough, in an act of poetic justice, the victors in the Prop 8 fight have fared worst. —

Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 31 May 2015 That the Del Paso Boulevard space once housed county juvenile corrections offices serves as its own bit of poetic justice. —

Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 28 Mar. 2024 Beating Minnesota with Dallas and Philadelphia losing would poetic justice for Detroit in moving to No. 2. —

Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 1 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for poetic justice

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poetic justice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1691, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of poetic justice was in 1691

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Poetic justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poetic%20justice. Accessed 18 Sep. 2024.

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