as in punishment
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
as with many action movies, this one ends with a wild chase and an over-the-top fight sequence in which the bad guys finally get their comeuppance
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Recent Examples of comeuppance
Weapons is a movie about a local misfortune that then reveals the enigmatic villain behind it and delights in her comeuppance.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
In Weapons’ frantic climax, Alex uses her magic against her, reclaiming what she’s taken from him—his mother, his father, his friends—in a moment of righteous comeuppance.
—Andy Crump, Time, 9 Aug. 2025
Fargo has an absurdist streak a mile wide and a sense of cosmic comeuppance that suggests the strings are being pulled by a mischievous trickster-god with a mean streak.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
This comforting fiction does eventually fall apart, but Familiar Touch is finely wrought enough to not present this as a comeuppance or simply a disaster.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for comeuppance
David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
In Weapons’ frantic climax, Alex uses her magic against her, reclaiming what she’s taken from him—his mother, his father, his friends—in a moment of righteous comeuppance.
—Andy Crump, Time, 9 Aug. 2025
Fargo has an absurdist streak a mile wide and a sense of cosmic comeuppance that suggests the strings are being pulled by a mischievous trickster-god with a mean streak.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
This comforting fiction does eventually fall apart, but Familiar Touch is finely wrought enough to not present this as a comeuppance or simply a disaster.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for comeuppance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comeuppance
Noun
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Forced to become a bloodsucker as part of Bill's punishment for vanquishing another, Deborah Ann Woll's Jessica struggles with her new, flesh-craving lifestyle.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
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While Combs' defense team is seeking a 14-month sentence, prosecutors are hoping for a harsher punishment, lobbying the judge to hand down 11 years.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Winter's wrath continues with another cold spell predicted for mid-February.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Oct. 2025
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When Hernán helps Julia and her young daughter, Maribel, navigate treacherous borderlands, their desperate journey triggers the wrath of a ruthless trafficking syndicate.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And aside from committing a penalty, left tackle Patrick Paul had another superb effort.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
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But the penalty can’t be applied until after Kansas has a chance to plead its case to the SNAP Appeals Board through a formal process expected to last months.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Comeuppance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comeuppance. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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