poetic licence
Say it: poh-ET-ik LY-suns /pəʊˌɛtɪk ˈlaɪsəns/ · noun phrase
What “poetic licence” means
Bending facts or rules to make art more effective.
More precisely: Freedom to bend facts or rules for artistic effect.
Example: “The biopic takes some poetic licence with the timeline.”
When to use it
When explaining deliberate departures from facts or conventions in art, usually in a relaxed literary or critical discussion.
Similar words
artistic licence, creative freedom
Quick check
A painter makes the moon much larger than it really appeared because the scene feels more dramatic. That's…
a factual error or poetic licence?
Show the answer
poetic licence
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