purgative
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of purgative
1350–1400; < Late Latin pūrgātīvus ( see purgation, -ive); replacing Middle English purgatyf < Middle French < Late Latin, as above
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The juxtaposition of such a technologically enabled act — I recorded, therefore I was — and the most basic and purgative of elements invites irony where it is least wanted.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2018
The last act of a Shakespearean tragedy always brings such purgative reckonings.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 29, 2018
And this, too, felt like a purgative end to 2016.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 3, 2017
Dosed on Pepto Bismol for Quetzal’s Revenge after a week in the jungle, I didn’t think a purgative was necessary, nor, in the unreal surroundings, a hallucination.
From New York Times ● Sep. 13, 2013
To bring them into balance, Dr. Harlow prescribes two powerful drugs—an "emetic" to make Phineas throw up and a "purgative," a powerful laxative, to evacuate his bowels.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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