What does karma mean?
Karma is a word that carries both a philosophical idea and a familiar social implication. In English, it commonly refers to the moral consequences of what a person does: good actions invite good outcomes, while careless or harmful actions invite unfortunate ones. This usage often appears in phrases such as good karma and bad karma and can refer broadly to reputation, luck, or the general result of past behaviour. In Hindu, Buddhist, and related religious traditions, however, karma is more precise. It denotes the ethical mechanism by which intentional actions affect future experience, including consequences extending beyond a single lifetime. The religious idea is broader and more systematic than the everyday English metaphor. Understanding this distinction helps explain why the word feels both philosophical and informal. It also explains the central logic behind expressions about instant karma and karmic justice: present circumstances are treated as consequences of earlier choices. The word's unusual history reflects this meeting of an Indic philosophical concept and a modern English moral metaphor.
nounIn modern English, karma usually means the idea that a person's actions bring moral consequences: good actions tend to produce good outcomes, while harmful actions tend to produce unfortunate ones. In Hindu, Buddhist, and related philosophical traditions, karma more precisely refers to the ethical law governing the consequences of intentional actions, rather than ordinary luck or reputation.
- The principle that a person's actions, especially moral ones, produce corresponding consequences.
- The total effects of a person's past actions considered as determining present or future circumstances.
- In Hindu, Buddhist, and related philosophical traditions, the ethical law governing the consequences of intentional actions across successive lives.
- Informally, a reputation or general impression of being fortunate or unfavourable.
"He treated every setback as a lesson, trusting that patience would bring him good karma."
"The principle of karma holds that actions have consequences, even when their results are not immediately apparent."
"She refused to cut corners, confident that good karma would serve her well."
The plural is rare in ordinary usage; karma is usually treated as an uncountable noun.
"Their karmas differ, despite the similarities between their lives."
The English word for moral cause and effect began as an Indic philosophical term: karma originally meant action or deed, not luck.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does karma come from?
The English word comes from the Sanskrit karman, meaning action, deed, or the consequences of action. It entered English in religious and spiritual contexts during the early nineteenth century and later developed the familiar secular sense of moral cause and effect. The Pali term kamma is a related form, while Sanskrit karmachakra combines the same root with cakra, meaning wheel.
Related word forms
How karma is actually used
In everyday English, karma is often informal and can suggest good or bad luck, reputation, or the presumed consequences of past behaviour. In religious and philosophical contexts, it is a more technical term with implications beyond ordinary cause and effect.
Easily confused with karma
Karma concerns the consequences of actions, whereas dharma more commonly refers to religious or moral duty and the right order of conduct.