catharsis

American  

[kuh-thahr-sis] / kəˈθɑr sɪs /

noun

• catharses
  plural

1. the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.

2. Medicine/Medical. purgation.

3. Psychiatry.

   1. psychotherapy that encourages or permits the discharge of pent-up, socially unacceptable affects.

   2. discharge of pent-up emotions so as to result in the alleviation of symptoms or the permanent relief of the condition.

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catharsis British  

/ kəˈθɑːsɪs /

noun

1. (in Aristotelian literary criticism) the purging or purification of the emotions through the evocation of pity and fear, as in tragedy

2. psychoanal the bringing of repressed ideas or experiences into consciousness, thus relieving tensions See also abreaction

3. purgation, esp of the bowels

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catharsis Cultural  

1. An experience of emotional release and purification, often inspired by or through art. In psychoanalysis, catharsis is the release of tension and anxiety that results from bringing repressed feelings and memories into consciousness.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hypercatharsis
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• catharses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of catharsis

First recorded in 1795–1805; from New Latin, from Greek kátharsis “a cleansing,” equivalent to kathar- (variant stem of kathaírein “to cleanse,” derivative of katharós “pure”) + -sis -sis

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Explanation

Use the noun catharsis to refer to the experience a person can have of releasing emotional tension and feeling refreshed afterwards. Conceived by Aristotle as the cleansing effect of emotional release that tragic drama has on its audience, catharsis stems from a Greek verb meaning "to purify, purge." Today, it can be used to describe any emotional release, including a good long laugh or cry that is followed by a sense of balance and freshness afterwards.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catharsis catharses

In much the way he finessed a truth about art facing evil in “Poetry,” the camera here is both predatory and a tool for catharsis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

No history, no struggle, no catharsis, no exploration, no humanity.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

This call for catharsis is ever-present in Rodrigo’s discography, but this last album is the artist in full stride.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Many in the nation felt catharsis, and deep respect for those who had pulled it off after nearly a decade of often-frustrated efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Zendagi migzara, Afghans like to say: Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end, kamyab, nah-kam, crisis or catharsis, moving forward like a slow, dusty car­avan of kochis.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

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

But, over time, as they peel away each other’s defenses and histories, their romance both deepens and frays as they find their way to possible catharses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2021

During the emotionally lurid “trust exercises” he runs in class, he forces students into unwelcome catharses regarding their relationships and friendships.

From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 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

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