poetic
adj.-
1 relating to poetry (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Literaryconnected to the writing or study of poems.
relating to the formal composition, structure, or study of poetry.
ExampleThe professor discussed the poetic techniques used in the 19th century.
ExampleThe seminar focused on the evolution of poetic forms, specifically how modernists broke away from traditional meter and rhyme schemes.
UsageOften used to describe formal elements like meter, rhyme, or structure.
- verse
- metrical
- prosaic
-
2 beautiful or imaginative (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatehaving a beautiful or emotional quality, like a poem.
possessing qualities of beauty, rhythm, or emotional resonance that evoke the feeling of poetry.
ExampleThe dancer's movements were so poetic that the audience stayed silent.
ExampleThe director's use of slow motion and soft lighting gave the film a poetic quality that transcended its simple plot.
UsageCommonly used to describe prose, dance, or visual art that feels elevated or emotional.
Show 1 more senseShow fewer
-
3 poetic justice (adj.) C1 Advanced Literaryused in the phrase 'poetic justice' to describe a situation where someone gets exactly what they deserve.
occurring in the fixed expression 'poetic justice', referring to an outcome where vice is punished and virtue rewarded in an appropriate way.
ExampleIt was poetic justice when the thief's own car was stolen.
ExampleThe antagonist's eventual downfall felt like poetic justice, as he was undone by the very schemes he had used to exploit others.
UsageAlmost exclusively found in the collocation 'poetic justice'.
From Middle French poetique, from Latin poeticus, from Ancient Greek ποιητικός (poiētikós) from ποιέω (poiéō, “make”). Doublet of poietic.