cathartic

American  

[kuh-thahr-tik] / kəˈθɑr tɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to catharsis.

2. Also cathartical. evacuating the bowels; purgative.

---

noun

1. a purgative.

   Synonyms:

   physic, laxative

cathartic British  

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of cathartic

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

Example Sentences

Is that cathartic to write and to perform?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

"It was a cathartic moment for the islanders. Testament not just to Sergei and Tszman, but to the island itself and what it takes to live on an island like that."

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

He told a virtual panel the following month that playing a role "so close" to him had been challenging but "cathartic".

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

"There's something very cathartic in engaging in horror. It's been like this in previous decades: when the world is more frightening, horror as a genre does better," he added.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

And passionate, cathartic church, that was black church.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah