deus ex machina
(in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the entanglements of the plot.
any artificial or improbable device resolving the difficulties of a plot.
Origin of deus ex machina
1Words Nearby deus ex machina
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use deus ex machina in a sentence
He made it all happen; the deus ex machina of the whole thing.
Republicans Are Racists? No, It’s Just All a Big Coincidence | Michael Tomasky | April 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThen out of the mist, a whirring of helicopter blades, and, deus ex machina, a man descends fromt he chopper to winch you aboard.
By the end of each half hour, conflict has been quickly resolved, often by some deus ex machina.
The nucleus, the only and true deus ex machina of many a modern botanist, was recognised as an organ of the cell.
This tail is a mysterious deus ex machina that directs all the thoughts of the Nassik Brahmans pro and contra.
From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan | Helena Pretrovna Blavatsky
It had come so quietly upon the scene—a deus ex machina, indeed, dropped from the clouds between us and our prey.
The Long Roll | Mary JohnstonThat deus ex machina from below the stage retired, unconscious of the imminent catastrophe he had averted.
Audrey Craven | May SinclairIt may seem surprising that the discoverer of the venous return felt the need of a deus ex machina to distend the right auricle.
Harvey's Views on the Use of the Circulation of the Blood | John G. Curtis
British Dictionary definitions for deus ex machina
/ Latin (ˈdeɪʊs ɛks ˈmækɪnə) /
(in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the plot
any unlikely or artificial device serving this purpose
Origin of deus ex machina
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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