Skip to main content
comeuppance

comeuppance

11 9.1
A punishment someone deserves for bad actions
  • noun
  • /kəˈmʌpəns/
translation icon : castigo merecido
  • Now, you're going to get your comeuppance.
  • got his comeuppance

It was only really the lower ones that kind of got their comeuppance, really.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • 'Cause everyone that lies, cheats, and steals gets their comeuppance.

  • When the dishonest politician was caught in a scandal, his supporters said he finally got his comeuppance.

  • All these people, all these men... they will have their comeuppance, just you see!

  • It's time for a little comeuppance, boys!

  • And your brother will get his comeuppance.

  • We went against nature and this was our comeuppance.

  • When the French join forces with them, the British will get their comeuppance.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Well, some folks are still waiting for their comeuppance.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Sooner or later, everyone's gonna get their comeuppance.

  • He deserves a good comeuppance.

Synonyms

punishment
vscomeuppance
720 1.3

An action that makes someone suffer for breaking a rule, like a fine or time in prison

is about a deserved result specifically tied to someone's actions
penalty
vscomeuppance
487 2.5

A punishment you get for breaking a rule, law or doing something wrong

is a morally deserved outcome rather than a formal rule sanction
retribution
vscomeuppance
87 7.5

Punishment people give because someone did something wrong and others think it is fair

is about a deserved result but not focused only on payback
poetic justice
vscomeuppance
  • Literature
8 4.9

A result where bad people get punished and good people are rewarded in a fitting way

is about a deserved result without the ironic or literary sense
just deserts
vscomeuppance
1 7.7

A punishment or reward a person should get

is limited to deserved punishment as a consequence of actions
requital
vscomeuppance
  • Literature
9.9

A punishment someone gets because of a wrong they did

is the everyday idea of deserved punishment after actions

Antonyms

333 2.2

An act of letting go of anger toward someone after they hurt you

How Severe

vengeance
252 6.8
retribution
87 7.5
punishment
720 1.3
comeuppance
11 9.1
reprimand
  • Formal
24 6.1
wrist-slap
  • Informal
1 7.8

Surface Forms

comeuppance singular
comeuppances plural

Morphology

comeuppance = come up (opaque) = come + up + ance

Although formed from the phrasal verb 'come up' + '-ance', the noun's idiomatic meaning 'deserved punishment' cannot be reliably derived from the components.

Etymology

Comeuppance comes from the everyday phrase come up meaning 'to happen to someone', turned into a noun that means 'what comes up to you'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of someone finally getting what 'comes up' to them — a deserved punishment or result.