What does karmic mean?
Karmic means relating to karma, the principle that actions have consequences which may affect a person’s present circumstances or future lives. The word is especially associated with Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions, in which moral and spiritual development is understood through the consequences of past actions across successive lives. In modern informal English, karmic is also used for events that seem to embody poetic justice or deserved punishment. Expressions such as karmic justice and karmic debt frequently carry a mystical or fatalistic tone, suggesting that an outcome results from an underlying moral order rather than chance. Although karmic is sometimes treated as synonymous with inevitable, it more precisely identifies a connection with the consequences of action. The adjective is especially frequent in cultural, spiritual, and literary contexts and may sound less natural in strictly technical or scientific discussion.
adjectiveRelating to karma, especially the principle that a person’s actions have consequences that may influence their present circumstances or future lives. In modern informal use, it can mean connected with fate or deserved retribution.
- Relating to karma or to the moral consequences of actions, including consequences understood as extending into future lives.
- Informally, relating to fate, poetic justice, or retribution for past behavior.
"After years of misfortune, she began to wonder whether her difficulties were karmic."
"The monk taught that suffering can arise from karmic causes rather than from chance alone."
"The novel treats the detective’s narrow escape as karmic rather than accidental."
Karmic extends the idea of consequences beyond a single lifetime: in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, actions can shape a person’s future experiences.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does karmic come from?
Karmic was formed in English in the early 19th century from the noun karma and the suffix -ic. Karma comes from Sanskrit karman, meaning action, deed, or the consequences of action, and the English word entered wider use in the 18th century through South Asian religious and philosophical writings. The Sanskrit term also underlies the established expression karma-yoga, meaning the discipline or path of action.
Related word forms
How karmic is actually used
Karmic is common in discussions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, where it refers to the consequences of intentional action across successive lives. In contemporary secular usage, it often carries a mystical or fatalistic implication, as in the expression karmic justice, and should not be treated as a scientific explanation for events.
Easily confused with karmic
Karma is the principle or moral force associated with actions and their consequences, whereas karmic is the adjective describing something relating to that principle.