cathartic

[kuh-thahr-tik]

adjective

1. of or relating to catharsis.

2. Also cathartical. evacuating the bowels; purgative.

noun

1. a purgative.

   Synonyms: physic, laxative

cathartic

/ kəˈθɑːtɪk /

adjective

1. purgative

2. effecting catharsis

noun

1. a purgative drug or agent

Other Word Forms

• cathartically adverb
• catharticalness noun
• hypercathartic adjective
• noncathartic adjective
• noncathartical adjective
• semicathartic adjective
• uncathartic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cathartic¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin catharticus, from Greek kathartikós “fit for cleansing”; catharsis, -tic

Example Sentences

So many questions were just eating me, so the work was in some ways cathartic.

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"To make a song that was the climax of your movie, with a lot of moving parts, but was also an actual cathartic song."

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In between are familiar topics from Ms. Swift—the search for true love, the desire for acceptance, and the cathartic thrill of putting your detractors in their place.

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That loss becomes the driving force of the doc, with Maron’s grief informing his daily life and thought process, while also providing cathartic, darkly humorous fodder for his stand-up gigs.

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“I think a lot of Democrats are frustrated and feel powerless, and so that rhetoric has this cathartic effect,” he said.

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