poetic license
noun
: license sense 4
… the start of Noah's Ark … states, "For dramatic effect, we have taken poetic license with some of the events of the mighty epic of Noah and the Flood."—
Ken Tucker
Ken TuckerExamples of poetic license in a Sentence
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The series’ greatest act of poetic license is to cast Robert Downey Jr. in multiple roles as various faces of American imperialism.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 30 May 2024
Still, our Judaism—if that’s the word for it—affirmed idiosyncrasy, worldliness, dignity, science, exegesis, law, property, gradualism, poetic license, peace, freedom, memory, and humor.
—Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
For all the talismanic power of the brand names themselves, though, the mechanics of business, the culture of meetings and the rhythms of phone calls can be difficult to dramatize — which means walking a fine line between fidelity and poetic license.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2023
All the poetic license allowed me from those around me helps.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 2 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for poetic license
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Judy Berman, TIME, 30 May 2024
Still, our Judaism—if that’s the word for it—affirmed idiosyncrasy, worldliness, dignity, science, exegesis, law, property, gradualism, poetic license, peace, freedom, memory, and humor.
—Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
For all the talismanic power of the brand names themselves, though, the mechanics of business, the culture of meetings and the rhythms of phone calls can be difficult to dramatize — which means walking a fine line between fidelity and poetic license.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2023
All the poetic license allowed me from those around me helps.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 2 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for poetic license
Cite this Entry
“Poetic license.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poetic%20license. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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