as in punishments
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 comeuppances
These tend to involve love affairs or status issues or shock revelations and result in dismayed reactions and abrupt comeuppances for previously unflappable characters.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comeuppances
Noun
-
In the wake of Kirk’s murder, and the high-profile punishments incurred by those who weren’t properly remorseful, Kirk morphed into one of the most widespread memes in recent memory.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Those examples from this school year fit into a pattern of fraternity hazing, investigations and punishments that have played out repeatedly in recent years.—
Matthew Kelly
April 23,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The penalties were imposed in September after an investigation by the sheriff’s internal affairs unit.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
So while the matchups were a factor in the game, their impact was lessened by all the penalties.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Comeuppances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comeuppances. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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