karma

The word karma comes from ancient Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. In these traditions, it is linked to action and to the results that follow from action, especially intentional action. It is not simply luck, and it is not exactly the same as fate. Instead, it describes the idea that what people do, say, and even intend can shape later experience.

In traditional religious teachings, karma can be part of a larger picture that includes rebirth and the cycle of life, death, and suffering. The details differ across traditions, but the basic idea is that actions matter and have consequences. In modern English, though, the word is often used in a simpler way. Many people use it to mean "what goes around comes around" or to suggest that a person's behavior will eventually bring matching results.

You might hear someone say, "It's just karma" when something bad happens to a person who behaved badly. You might also hear that someone has "good karma" if they are generous, thoughtful, or seem to attract good outcomes. In casual speech, the word can suggest a moral pattern in life, even when the speaker is not talking about religion in a strict sense.

While the word is rooted in spiritual belief, it is now widely used to talk about responsibility, behavior, and the consequences of what people do. Depending on the context, it may refer to a serious religious idea or just a casual way of saying that actions have a way of coming back to us.