noun · 2 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.
Received-Pronunciation:/dʒʌst dɪˈzɜːts/
General-American:/dʒʌst dəˈzɝts/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic, plural, plural-only
Examples
It may appear that they're getting ahead by cheating, but they'll get their just deserts in the end.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
an outcome in which virtue triumphs over vice (often ironically)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: poetic justice
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: result, resultant, final result, outcome, termination
History
Etymology
No etymology was provided for this word.
Across languages
Translations
20 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
報應 /报应
(bàoyìng)
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Czech:
po zásluze
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Czech:
spravedlivá odplata
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Czech:
co komu patří
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Finnish:
saada ansionsa mukaan
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
French:
dû
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
French:
juste châtiment
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
German:
sein Fett wegbekommen
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
German:
sein Fett abbekommen
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Hungarian:
méltó juss
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Hungarian:
méltó büntetés
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Hungarian:
méltó jutalom
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Japanese:
自業自得
(jigōjitoku)
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Polish:
zasłużona kara
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Russian:
справедливое наказа́ние
(spravedlivoje nakazánije)
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Russian:
по заслугам
(po zaslugam)
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Spanish:
su merecido
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Ukrainian:
заслужене
(zaslužene)
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Ukrainian:
по заслузі
(po zasluzi)
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
Ukrainian:
відплата
(vidplata)
— a punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved
