instant karma
Immediate cosmic justice
Instant karma is the idea that consequences—especially negative ones—follow immediately after an action, rather than accumulating over time as in traditional karma.
The phrase suggests cosmic justice delivered on the spot: He cut me off in traffic and immediately got pulled over. Instant karma.
Often used with satisfaction when someone's bad behavior backfires within seconds.
- backfiringProducing opposite results
- just desertsMerited reward or punishment
- jujuMagical West African charm
- consequenceResult of an action
- law of unintended consequencesOutcomes differ from intentions
fairness · poetic justice · punishment · reciprocity · comeuppance · samsara · John Lennon · accountability · dramatic irony · cosmic justice · divine retribution · moral fables · boomerang effect · what goes around · universal law · reward systems · golden rule · folklore
- Schadenfreudeserves you right, boo hoo, world's smallest violin, cry me a river, just desserts
instant karmaslow burn
Gradual buildup of rage
karmic debt · time will tell · generational curse · day of reckoning · what goes around comes around
instant karmarandom chance
Uncontrolled probability
cosmic indifference · chaos · luck · nihilism · absurdism