cathartic

[kuh-thahr-tik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cathartic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to catharsis.

Also ca·thar·ti·cal. evacuating the bowels; purgative.

noun

a purgative.

RELATED WORDS

purgative, cleaning, cleansing

Nearby words

Origin of cathartic

1605–15; < Late Latin catharticus < Greek kathartikós fit for cleansing. See catharsis, -tic

Related forms

ca·thar·ti·cal·ly, adverbca·thar·ti·cal·ness, nounhy·per·ca·thar·tic, adjectivenon·ca·thar·tic, adjective, noun

non·ca·thar·ti·cal, adjectivesem·i·ca·thar·tic, adjectiveun·ca·thar·tic, adjective

Synonyms for cathartic

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cathartic ON THESAURUS.COM

3. laxative, physic.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cathartic

The acknowledgment of these crimes, which came as part of an amnesty for them, was a cathartic moment for El Salvador.
Bringing El Salvador Nun Killers to Justice|Raymond Bonner|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a cathartic moment for the brand, though far from a guarantee to help restore it to its glory days.
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine|Alex Suskind|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In that way that was cathartic too, to sort of stitch up all those pieces and see how that is.
Richard Blanco’s Gay Latino Poet Survival Kit|William O’Connor|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both this and your next film, Listen Up Philip, are breakup stories—is it cathartic to act through stories like these?
Is Elisabeth Moss the One 'True Detective' Loves? She Doesn't Deny It.|Melissa Leon|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The show offers no cathartic “gotcha” moments, no easy answers, and no rapid-fire dialogue.
Stop Everything and Go Watch ‘Rectify'|Jason Lynch|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And Westerners – especially those with interest in these regions of the world – reacted with great, cathartic enthusiasm.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin
It actually has emetic and cathartic properties, but even these are inferior to those possessed by many other drugs.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
It is no cathartic method, abreacting real and phantastic "traumata," with or without hypnosis.
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology|C. G. Jung
Recommended as antibilious, cathartic, chemical family pills.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
It is a General Sedative, and a Cathartic; in large doses, an irritant poison.
The Action of Medicines in the System|Frederick William Headland

British Dictionary definitions for cathartic

cathartic

adjective

purgative

effecting catharsis

noun

a purgative drug or agent

Derived Formscathartically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cathartic

adj.

1610s, of medicines, from Latin catharticus, from Greek kathartikos "fit for cleansing, purgative," from katharsis "purging, cleansing" (see catharsis). General sense is from 1670s. Related: Cathartical.

Medicine definitions for cathartic

cathartic

[kə-thär′tĭk]

adj.

Inducing catharsis; purgative.

n.

An agent for purging the bowels, especially a laxative.

cathartic

adjective

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of cathartic

Synonyms for cathartic

Examples from the Web for cathartic

cathartic

adjective

noun

cathartic

adj.

n.