poetic justice

American  

noun

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

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poetic justice British  

noun

1. fitting retribution; just deserts

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poetic justice Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of poetic justice

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

That it’s a woman who ultimately neutralizes Homelander shielding is a kind of poetic justice.

From Salon • May 24, 2026

If Mazda’s customers rebel, it will amount to poetic justice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

It would have been poetic justice if he had won on Sunday, not just playing in a home World Cup but also leading his side - that wasn't meant to be.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2023

So, in some ways, giving Black people the land where the prison once operated as reparations could be seen as poetic justice.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2023

The finale of this enterprise was, it seems to me, in keeping with its remarkable character, and anything less picturesque than that which actually transpired in this connection would have fallen short of poetic justice.

From Sawdust & Spangles Stories & Secrets of the Circus by Coup, W. C.