Meanings
karma1
nounkarma (countable and uncountable, plural karmas)
plural karmas
- HinduismJainismSikhismcountableuncountableBuddhismThe sum total of a person's actions, which determine the person's next incarnation in samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth.
‘We are all part of a circle of karma. We will be rewarded for the good deeds of our forefathers, and pay the price for their sins.’
2023, Santanu Bhattacharya, One Small Voice, Fig Tree, pages 59-60 - countableuncountableA force or law of nature which causes one to reap what one sows; destiny; fate.
- countableuncommonuncountableA distinctive feeling, aura, or atmosphere.
That means everything from lighting to the vibes, the karma of the room.
2001, Inside the Hits, page 3072 more examples
How many times when you have been in a bar have you felt that a confrontation was building up, even without extensive verbal exchanges? Sometimes you can feel the karma or energy of a place change, and you should not ignore that
2006, Chase Sargent, From Buddy to Boss, page 219On the way to Lancaster, which was about an hour and a half from Philly, John felt the karma.
2010, R.L. Roach, Irish Lie, page 135 - InternetcountableuncountableA score assigned to a user or post on some discussion forums, indicating popularity or perceived value.
Karma2
proper noun
- A female given name.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
- Sanskritकर्म
- Englishkarma
Borrowed from Sanskrit कर्म (kárma), nom.sg. of कर्मन् (kárman, “act, action, performance”); first attested in English in 1785 in a translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Charles Wilkins.
More words from Sanskrit
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic كَارْمَا
- كَارْمَا (kārmā)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Bengali কর্মফল
- কর্মফল (kormophol)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Bulgarian ка́рма
- ка́рма (kárma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Catalan karma
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Chinese Mandarin 因果報應 /因果报应, 業 /业
- 因果報應 /因果报应 (yīnguǒbàoyìng)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- 業 /业 (yè)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- 羯磨 (jiémó)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- 緣分 /缘分 (yuánfèn)destiny, fate
Czech karma, osud
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- osuddestiny, fate
Dutch karma, karma
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- karmadestiny, fate
Esperanto karmo
- karmothe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Finnish karma, kohtalo
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- kohtalodestiny, fate
- kohtalodistinctive feeling, aura or atmosphere
French karma
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
German Karma, Schicksal
- Karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- Schicksaldestiny, fate
Greek κάρμα
- κάρμα (kárma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Hebrew קארמה
- קארמה (kárma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Hindi कर्म
- कर्म (karm)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Hungarian karma
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Icelandic karma, endurgjaldslögmál
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- endurgjaldslögmálthe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Japanese 業, カルマ
- 業 (gō)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- カルマ (karuma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- 羯磨 (katsuma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Korean 업, 카르마
- 업 (eop)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- 카르마 (kareuma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Lithuanian karma, likimas
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- likimasdestiny, fate
Malay karma
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Persian کارما, کرمه
- کارما (kârmâ)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- کرمه (karme)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Polish karma, karman
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- karmanthe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Portuguese carma, karma
- carmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- carmadestiny, fate
- karmadestiny, fate
- climadistinctive feeling, aura or atmosphere
Punjabi ਕਰਮ
- ਕਰਮ (karam)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Russian ка́рма, ка́рма
- ка́рма (kárma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- ка́рма (kárma)destiny, fate
Spanish karma, karma
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- karmadestiny, fate
Swedish karma, karma
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- karmadestiny, fate
Tagalog karma
- karmathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Tamil கர்மம், வினை
- கர்மம் (karmam)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- வினை (viṉai)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Thai กรรม
- กรรม (gam)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Turkish dakka dukka, eden bulur
- dakka dukkathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- eden bulurthe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- kaderdestiny, fate
- takdirdestiny, fate
Ukrainian ка́рма
- ка́рма (kárma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Urdu کرم
- کرم (karm, karma)the total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Vietnamese nghiệp, nghiệp chướng
- nghiệpthe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- nghiệp chướngthe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
- yết-mathe total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of his existence
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with karma
All rhymes →Sounds the same
camacalmer (non-rhotic)
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
karma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/karma
MLA
“karma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/karma. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “karma,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/karma.
Source: karma on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.