deus ex machinas

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

    Namely all sorts of local deus ex machinas are required to make the system work.

    1976, Arthur S. Iberall, S. Z. Cardon, Systems Models for Transportation Problems, page 60
    3 more examples

    Yet most twentieth-century narratives using the Oedipus myth lack these assurances and reassurances. There are no prophecies, no visionaries, no deus ex machinas.

    1993, Debra Moddelmog, Readers and Mythic Signs: The Oedipus Myth in Twentieth-century Fiction, page 113

    Things that really annoy me are Deus Ex Machinas or endings that keep you guessing, but actually unconcerned about the problem (not) solved.

    2009, Piet Wenings, Readers' Poll Results comments, in Interface, volume 222

    That's one of my favorite deus ex machinas, these bloody eagles always show up with immaculate timing, rescue the heroes and defeat the bad guys.

    2017, T. H. Cooney, Beyond the Box
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: deus ex machinas on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.