catharsis
noun
the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.
catharses
-
pluralof catharsis.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Drawing from his life in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Mr. Kahan writes about quiet moments in small towns that lead to grand catharses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Both Emma and Peter are stuck in unsatisfactory career situations that were “supposed to be temporary”; you can smell the catharses coming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2022
“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is, at the same time, filled with showy, affected writing, with forced catharses and swollen quasi-profundities.
From New York Times ● May 27, 2019
This can make for a frustrating viewing experience in the moment, a film whose moral ambiguities and incomplete catharses don’t map onto a known horror template.
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2019
With midrange adult dramas increasingly being concerned with personal portraiture and psycho-emotional catharses, sharp, thematically pertinent movies are in danger of being relegated to metaphorical kitsch, however smart and well executed.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 23, 2017
