deus ex machina

noun

de·​us ex ma·​chi·​na ˈdā-əs-ˌeks-ˈmä-ki-nə  -ˈma- 

-ˌnä;

-mə-ˈshē-nə

1

: a god introduced by means of a crane (see crane entry 1 sense 3a) in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome

2

: a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty

… the shipwreck, far from being a tragic peripety, is the deus ex machina which makes it possible for Defoe to present solitary labour … as a solution to the perplexities of economic and social reality.

—Ian Watt

Did you know?

The New Latin term deus ex machina is a translation of a Greek phrase and means literally "a god from a machine." Machine, in this case, refers to the crane (yes, crane) that held a god over the stage in ancient Greek and Roman drama. The practice of introducing a god at the end of a play to unravel and resolve the plot dates from at least the 5th century B.C.; Euripides (circa 484-406 B.C.) was one playwright who made frequent use of the device. Since the late 1600s, deus ex machina has been applied in English to unlikely saviors and improbable events in fiction or drama that bring order out of chaos in sudden and surprising ways.

Examples of deus ex machina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The antifa mercenaries function as a diabolical deus ex machina, orchestrating an elaborate bomb plot and laying waste to the town with military-grade weaponry. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 18 July 2025

And with few of Superman's friends powerful enough to rescue him from such biblical threats (even Krypto), deus ex machina often proves to be his only salvation — particularly within the two- to three-hour running time of a film. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 July 2025

Yet another deus ex machina, this time an altogether abstract and bureaucratic one, takes over and spares relationships while again definitively bursting a stiflingly luxurious bubble. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025

One thing that isn’t fabulous are those hideous Oz-green spiky stilettos, which Anna puts on after the deus ex machina that is Adeline’s reappearance from beyond the grave in the last ten minutes of the season. —Katie Rife, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, a god from a machine, translation of Greek theos ek mēchanēs

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for deus ex machina

• acarina
• ballerina
• casuarina
• celestina
• concertina
• filipina
• foramina
• leucaena
• littorina
• scarlatina
• semolina
• serotina

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