deus ex machina
noun
de·us ex ma·chi·na ˈdā-əs-ˌeks-ˈmä-ki-nə 
-ˈma-
-ˈma- -ˌnä;
-mə-ˈshē-nə
1
: a god introduced by means of a crane (see crane entry 1 sense 3a) in ancient Greek and Roman drama to decide the final outcome
2
: a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty
… the shipwreck, far from being a tragic peripety, is the deus ex machina which makes it possible for Defoe to present solitary labour … as a solution to the perplexities of economic and social reality.
Ian Watt
Ian Watt
Did you know?
The New Latin term deus ex machina is a translation of a Greek phrase and means literally "a god from a machine." "Machine," in this case, refers to the crane that held a god over the stage in ancient Greek and Roman drama. The practice of introducing a god at the end of a play to unravel and resolve the plot dates from at least the 5th century B.C.; Euripides (circa 484-406 B.C.) was one playwright who made frequent use of the device. Since the late 1600s, "deus ex machina" has been applied in English to unlikely saviors and improbable events that bring order out of chaos in sudden and surprising ways.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The ending depends on a perverse kind of deus ex machina that some readers will consider too melodramatic. Ron Charles, Washington Post, 7 June 2022 While financial struggles are instantaneously cured by a deus ex machina, the emotional toll of such a daunting task is hardly acknowledged. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2022 The result is like the deus ex machina moment in an ancient Greek play, when a hopeless situation is resolved by the sudden appearance of a god on a crane. New York Times, 27 Feb. 2022 For cinema operators like O’Meara, the latest Spidey movie isn’t merely a deus ex machina, something that swings in like a gift from the heavens to boosts ticket sales and popcorn purchases. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Dec. 2021 In a strange twist for a movie at least somewhat about free speech, the deus ex machina is famously corrupt head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover himself. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2021 Many hoped vaccines would put a deus ex machina-style end to the virus. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2021 In Lowery’s movie, as in the poem, however, magic does not function as a deus ex machina to tie up loose ends but as a way to talk about control. Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2021 Artificial intelligence does not come to us as a deus ex machina but, rather, through a number of dehumanizing extractive practices, of which most of us are unaware. Jonathan Franzen, The New York Review of Books, 6 Oct. 2021 See More
Ron Charles, Washington Post, 7 June 2022 While financial struggles are instantaneously cured by a deus ex machina, the emotional toll of such a daunting task is hardly acknowledged. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2022 The result is like the deus ex machina moment in an ancient Greek play, when a hopeless situation is resolved by the sudden appearance of a god on a crane. New York Times, 27 Feb. 2022 For cinema operators like O’Meara, the latest Spidey movie isn’t merely a deus ex machina, something that swings in like a gift from the heavens to boosts ticket sales and popcorn purchases. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Dec. 2021 In a strange twist for a movie at least somewhat about free speech, the deus ex machina is famously corrupt head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover himself. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2021 Many hoped vaccines would put a deus ex machina-style end to the virus. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2021 In Lowery’s movie, as in the poem, however, magic does not function as a deus ex machina to tie up loose ends but as a way to talk about control. Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 12 Aug. 2021 Artificial intelligence does not come to us as a deus ex machina but, rather, through a number of dehumanizing extractive practices, of which most of us are unaware. Jonathan Franzen, The New York Review of Books, 6 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, a god from a machine, translation of Greek theos ek mēchanēs
First Known Use
1697, in the meaning defined at sense 2