Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

poetical justice

/poʊˌɛtɪk(ə)l ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.57 in modern English

Syllables
po-et-ic-al jus-tice
IPA
/poʊˌɛtɪk(ə)l ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/
28
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
5
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The idea that in a literary work such as a poem, virtue should be rewarded and vice punished.

Uncountable

noun

Synonym of poetic justice (“the fact of someone experiencing what they deserve for their actions, especially when this happens in an ironic manner”).

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From poetical + justice, coined by the English literary critic Thomas Rymer (c. 1643 – 1713) in the work The Tragedies of the Last Age Consider’d and Examin’d (1678): see the quotation.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /poʊˌɛtɪk(ə)l ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/
  • British English: /pəʊˌɛtɪkl̩ ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/

Usage

Synonyms

poetic justice

Questions

How do you pronounce poetical justice?
The recorded pronunciation is /poʊˌɛtɪk(ə)l ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/.
What does poetical justice mean?
The idea that in a literary work such as a poem, virtue should be rewarded and vice punished.
Where does poetical justice come from?
From poetical + justice, coined by the English literary critic Thomas Rymer (c. 1643 – 1713) in the work The Tragedies of the Last Age Consider’d and Examin’d (1678): see the quotation.

How to pronounce poetical justice

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “poetical justice”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/poʊˌɛtɪk(ə)l ˈd͡ʒʌstɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “poetical justice”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “poetical justice” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.