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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
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Word History
First Known Use
1691, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near poetic justice
Cite this Entry
“Poetic justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poetic%20justice. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on poetic justice
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about poetic justice
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