Phrase guide

deus ex machina

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌdeɪ.əs ɛks ˈmækɪnə/
  • UK: /ˌdeɪ.əs ɛks məˈʃiːnə/
  • UK: /ˌdiːəs ɛks məˈʃiːnə/
  • US: /ˌdeɪ.əs ˌɛks ˈmɑkənə/
  • US: /ˌdeɪ.əs ˌɛks ˈmækənə/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any resolution to a story that does not pay due regard to the story's internal logic and that is so unlikely that it challenges suspension of disbelief, and presumably allows the author, director, or developer to end the story in the way that they desired.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, narratology, sciences

Examples

  • Near-synonym: (vulgar, slang) ass-pull

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ass-pull

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A contrived solution to a problem, relying on an agent external to the situation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A deity in Greek and Roman drama who was brought in by stage machinery to intervene in a difficult situation (i.e., to resolve a crisis, or untangle issues surrounding it, a character logically expected to do so).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, literary

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A machine used to bring an actor playing a god onto the stage, either up through a trapdoor or (e.g. by crane) from above.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an insoluble difficulty

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: causal agent, cause, causal agency

History

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin deus ex māchinā (literally “god from a machine [i.e., a device, scaffolding, contrivance]”), a calque of Ancient Greek ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός (apò mēkhanês theós).

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 機械降神 /机械降神 (jīxiè jiàng shén) — contrived plot resolution
  • Finnish: keinotekoinen juonenkäänne — contrived plot resolution
  • Finnish: deus ex machina — contrived plot resolution
  • French: deus ex machina — contrived plot resolution
  • German: Deus ex Machina — contrived plot resolution
  • Greek: από μηχανής θεός (apó michanís theós) — contrived plot resolution
  • Ancient Greek: ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός (apò mēkhanês theós) — contrived plot resolution
  • Hindi: डेयस एक्स माकिना (ḍeyas eks mākinā) — contrived plot resolution
  • Indonesian: deus ex machina — contrived plot resolution
  • Italian: deus ex machina — contrived plot resolution
  • Japanese: どんでん返し (don den gaeshi) — contrived plot resolution
  • Japanese: デウスエクスマキナ (deusu ekusu makina) — contrived plot resolution
  • Korean: 데우스 엑스 마키나 (de'useu ekseu makina) — contrived plot resolution
  • Marathi: डेउस एक्स मॅकिना (ḍeus eksa mĕkinā) — contrived plot resolution
  • Norwegian: reddende engel — contrived plot resolution
  • Polish: deus ex machina — contrived plot resolution
  • Portuguese: deus ex machina — contrived plot resolution
  • Russian: де́ус экс ма́хина (dɛ́us eks máxina) — contrived plot resolution
  • Russian: «бог из маши́ны» (box iz mašíny) — contrived plot resolution
  • Russian: роя́ль в куста́х (rojálʹ v kustáx) — contrived plot resolution
  • Spanish: deus ex machina — contrived plot resolution
  • Swedish: räddande ängel — contrived plot resolution
  • Swedish: deus ex machina — contrived plot resolution
  • Thai: เทวดามาโปรด — contrived plot resolution
  • Arabic: الحَلّ مِنَ السَّمَاء (al-ḥall mina s-samāʔ) — contrived solution to a problem
  • Finnish: ihmeratkaisu — contrived solution to a problem
  • Italian: deus ex machina — contrived solution to a problem
  • Japanese: 急場しのぎ (kyūba shinogi) — contrived solution to a problem
  • Marathi: डेउस एक्स मॅकिना (ḍeus eksa mĕkinā) — contrived solution to a problem
  • Polish: deus ex machina — contrived solution to a problem
  • Russian: счастли́вая развя́зка (sčastlívaja razvjázka) — contrived solution to a problem
  • Spanish: deus ex machina (deus eks mákhina) — contrived solution to a problem