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

The hum for readers of this well-crafted book comes from seeing its determined protagonist try to foil that scheme while ensuring poetic justice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

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

From Salon • May 24, 2026

Cromwell’s journey to Tower Hill is, in its way, poetic justice.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2025

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

As to the way in which the conclusion is brought to pass, there is to the child and to the childlike mind, in literature as in life, something eminently satisfying in poetic justice.

From Literature in the Elementary School by MacClintock, Porter Lander