karmically

Karmically is an English adverb relating to karma, the concept of moral causation central to several Eastern religious and philosophical traditions. Derived from the adjective karmic, which in turn comes from Sanskrit karma meaning action or fate, karmically describes something in a way that is connected to the consequences of actions or to the balancing of moral causes and effects.

Traditionally, karma refers to intentional actions producing results that may manifest in this life or future lives. Karmically can be used to discuss events, patterns, or processes that are regarded as fitting or aligned with a person’s prior actions, such as a situation perceived as “karmically deserved.”

In contemporary usage, karmically appears in self-help, New Age, and popular culture to convey a sense of cosmic justice or moral symmetry. It can describe perceived patterns of cause and effect in a person’s life, or be used more loosely to attribute a fitting consequence to someone’s behavior. Critics argue that the concept is metaphorical or vague when removed from its religious contexts, and some scholars caution against treating karma as an empirically verifiable rule.

Related terms include karma, karmic debt, and reincarnation, as well as noun forms such as karmic consequence or karmic balance.