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definitions

cathartic

[kuh-thahr-tik]
||

adjective

of or relating to catharsis.
Also ca·thar·ti·cal. evacuating the bowels; purgative.

noun

a purgative.

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Nearby words

  1. cathar,
  2. cathari,
  3. catharine wheel,
  4. catharist,
  5. catharsis,
  6. cathay,
  7. cathead,
  8. cathect,
  9. cathected,
  10. cathectic

Origin of cathartic

1605–15; < Late Latin catharticus < Greek kathartikós fit for cleansing. See catharsis, -tic
SYNONYMS FOR cathartic
3. laxative, physic.
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cathartically

  • Better still, Kill Your Friends, despite its 1997 setting, feels bracingly, cathartically, of the moment.

    The Sound of Violence|Taylor Antrim|February 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for cathartically

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 cathartically

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for cathartically

cathartic

[kə-thär′tĭk]

adj.

Inducing catharsis; purgative.

n.

An agent for purging the bowels, especially a laxative.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.