dei ex machina

A form of deus ex machina — 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.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of deus ex machina

    I was a little let down, though, that Arya didn’t get to use her specific skills more (why not have her disguise herself as a White Walker?), but as far as dei ex machina go, it’s hard to argue with the pint-size killer Stark.

    2019 April 29, David Sims, Spencer Kornhaber, and Lenika Cruz, “The Long Night Finally Arrives on Game of Thrones”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 02 May 2019
Cite this entry
APA

dei ex machina. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dei%20ex%20machina

MLA

“dei ex machina.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dei%20ex%20machina. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dei ex machina,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dei%20ex%20machina.

Source: dei ex machina on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.