karma

noun

kar·​ma ˈkär-mə 

 also  ˈkər-

1

often capitalized : the force generated by a person's actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person's next existence

Each individual is born with karma, the residual from past lives that must be resolved …

—Diane Goldner

broadly : such a force considered as affecting the events of one's life

Claude says, "You reap what you sow." I call this idea karma, that what goes around comes around.

—Anthony Walton

I figured I needed all the good karma I could get if I was serious about winning Noah's heart.

—Robin Palmer

2

: a characteristic emanation, aura, or spirit that infuses or vitalizes someone or something

… he wrote a book entitled Maverick in which he talked about his drug use and his teammates' karma …

—Sam Smith

Graffiti on the walls of trains or subway stations create bad karma.

—Ed Koch

karmic

ˈkär-mik 

 also  ˈkər-

adjective

Synonyms

• aura
• atmosphere

Examples of karma in a Sentence

She believes that helping people produces good karma.

as the site of a string of failed businesses, the building definitely had bad karma

Recent Examples on the Web

The Yankees watched Judge play the game of his life Tuesday night, blasting one of the most dramatic home runs before one of the most emotional crowds in recent postseason memory and then carried none of that feel-good karma into Game 4. —Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025

The concepts of karma, dharma, and the eternal dance between fate and choice are deeply embedded in Indian culture. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025

Some activists read from the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu text which describes the roots of the Ashvattha, a sacred tree, as bound to human actions and karma. —Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025

Concepts like zero, karma, ahimsa, non-duality, and moksha shaped not just her identity but how the world understands selfhood, suffering, time, and truth. —Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Sanskrit karma fate, work

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for karma

• dharma
• pharma