Dictionary.com
definitions

poetic justice

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR poetic justice ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an ideal distribution of rewards and punishments such as is common in some poetry and fiction.

RELATED CONTENT

Poetic Foot vs. Meter
Poetry has a lot of moving parts. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re starting to explore poetic analysis. Poetic foot and meter are a great place to start. Once you have these basics down, the rest becomes a lot easier. A poetic foot is a unit of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. Poetic meter refers to the number of feet …
READ MORE
O Say Can You Hear? A Look at Our National Anthem’s Poetic Roots
The Poem that Inspired an Anthem The “Star-Spangled Banner” was adopted as our national anthem in 1931, and its soaring melody and densely packed lyrics have been tripping up those tasked with performing it ever since. The song has an unusual syntax because it was originally a poem, written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. While the Star-Spangled Banner is one of the more famous …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

nemesis, retribution

Origin of poetic justice

First recorded in 1720–30
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for poetic justice

poetic justice

noun

fitting retribution; just deserts
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with poetic justice

poetic justice

An outcome in which virtue is rewarded and evil punished, often in an especially appropriate or ironic manner. For example, It was poetic justice for the known thief to go to jail for the one crime he didn't commit. [Early 1700s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.