cathartic

[ kuh-thahr-tik ]

/ kəˈθɑr tɪk /

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See synonyms for: cathartic / cathartics on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to catharsis.

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

noun

a purgative.

SYNONYMS FOR cathartic

3 laxative, physic.

See synonyms for cathartic on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of cathartic

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cathartic

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

Words nearby cathartic

cath-, Cathar, catharine wheel, cat-harpin, catharsis, cathartic, Cathay, cathead, cathect, cathectic, cathedra

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use cathartic in a sentence

It was cathartic to hear them try and describe the guy, his life’s work, his day job at Saturday Night Live, and his magical series of projects pairing the strangest combinations of artists you could not even imagine.
Gillmor Gang: Days Go By|Steve Gillmor|April 9, 2021|TechCrunch
The book uses dark humor to examine family ties and expectations of motherhood, with the Booker judges calling it “utterly compelling … sometimes emotionally wrenching but also cathartic.”
12 Asian Writers to Watch|Kate Bartlett|April 8, 2021|Ozy
Regardless of what the humans of 2120 might make of the scraps of fabric that the people of 2020 found precious, the act of packing up the symbols of a crappy year can be cathartic.
The things they buried: Masks, vials, social-distancing signage — and, of course, toilet paper|Maura Judkis|March 25, 2021|Washington Post
For Havas, that took the form of weekly venting sessions called “Wednesday Whinge” — where team leaders could meet for a candid, cathartic rant with peers.
‘It took the heat out of people’s situations’: Agencies provide mental health support for employees’ kids|Jessica Davies|March 5, 2021|Digiday

You can shell with a hammer, which is cathartic, or a nutcracker.
5 Delicious Snacks You Can Forage in the City|Vanessa Hua|February 7, 2021|Outside Online
There was something cathartic about deleting this 2,500-word monster of a farewell, and resolving to live.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Someone once asked me, did I find writing personally cathartic.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
The latter is an active emeto-cathartic, and is abundant on swampy grounds throughout the Southern States.
The Myths of the New World|Daniel G. Brinton
Sometimes, a gentle cathartic may be needful; but it is best first to try fasting.
A Treatise on Domestic Economy|Catherine Esther Beecher
Cathartic medicine should not be administered the first, the third, or any other day after confinement, unless it is needed.
The Physical Life of Woman:|Dr. George H Napheys
The cathartic waters are the most numerous and the most extensively used.
Saratoga and How to See It|R. F. Dearborn
Two or three glasses in the morning is the dose as a cathartic.
Saratoga and How to See It|R. F. Dearborn

British Dictionary definitions for cathartic

cathartic

/ (kəˈθɑːtɪk) /

adjective

purgative

effecting catharsis

noun

a purgative drug or agent

Derived forms of cathartic

cathartically, 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

Medical definitions for cathartic

cathartic

[ kə-thär′tĭk ]

adj.

Inducing catharsis; purgative.

n.

An agent for purging the bowels, especially a laxative.

cathartic

adjective

noun

SYNONYMS FOR cathartic

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Origin of cathartic

OTHER WORDS FROM cathartic

Words nearby cathartic

Words related to cathartic

How to use cathartic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cathartic

adjective

noun

Derived forms of cathartic

Medical definitions for cathartic

adj.

n.