catharsis

American  

[kuh-thahr-sis] / kəˈθɑr sɪs /

noun

plural

catharses

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

• hypercatharsis noun

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

Example Sentences

In “Hamnet,” the staging of “Hamlet” creates a moment of catharsis for everyone assembled inside the Globe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

In a family in which such direct, vulnerable declarations are rare, Agnes’ comment is both a shock and a catharsis.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

Telling her story has also been a "catharsis", she said.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

But once you decide to level with your children with bracing honesty and vulnerability, you’re well on your way to achieving catharsis.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 2, 2025

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