comeuppance

noun

come·​up·​pance (ˌ)kəm-ˈə-pən(t)s 

: a deserved rebuke or penalty : deserts

One of these days, he'll get his comeuppance for treating people so arrogantly.

Synonyms

• castigation
• chastisement
• correction
• desert(s)
• discipline
• nemesis
• penalty
• punishment
• wrath

Examples of comeuppance in a Sentence

One of these days, he'll get his comeuppance for treating people so arrogantly.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

But don’t try to be a hero betting aggressively that the happy herd will suffer a comeuppance soon. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2024

There’s some good stuff here; foggy-thick England backroads atmosphere and a serving of bloody comeuppance but the story just runs out of gas, leaving us stranded by the side of the road. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

It’s designed to deny us the satisfaction of seeing a villain get their comeuppance, simply because there is none. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024

But a day after nearly fainting over the financial details, as Joe has recollected, the lead producer in the deal, Harvey Weinstein, got his comeuppance. —Tony Maglio, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

come up + -ance

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

comeuppance

noun

come·​up·​pance

(ˌ)kəm-ˈəp-ən(t)s

: strong criticism that is deserved