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.
Taking out the trash is like administering a purgative to my house.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2019
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
Teddy Roosevelt also glorified war for its own sake, treating it as a refreshing purgative to enliven the spirit and a country’s greatness.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2014
Is there the purgative rhubarb or thyme that cures the long lethargy?
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
