catharsis
noun
ca·thar·sis
| \ kə-ˈthär-səs
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plural catharses\ kə-ˈthär-ˌsēz
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Definition of catharsis
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Examples of catharsis in a Sentence
She has learned to have her catharsis, take a deep breath and move on. … she does not dwell on the negative anymore.
— Selena Roberts, New York Times, 24 June 2001
… malevolence is expressed in his decision to absent himself from the courtroom, thereby denying some victims of his torture the catharsis of compelling him to hear their stories of survival.
— George F. Will, Newsweek, 25 May 1987
… there's the need for catharsis. If you play it all back a second time, you may wear away some of the pain, as you wear away a record with replaying.
— Anatole Broyard, New York Times Book Review, 14 Nov. 1982
As soon as we emerged from the gates of the White House, I became aware of that sea of faces. … I wanted to cry for them and with them, but it was impossible to permit the catharsis of tears.
— Lady Bird Johnson 24 Nov. 1963,
in A White House Diary, 1970
Acting is a means of catharsis for her.
Painting is a catharsis for me.
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Recent Examples on the Web
From their 1997 heartbreak opus, Dig Me Out, to 2005’s equal parts experimental and psychedelic The Woods, their records have offered women catharsis by way of disarmingly raw lyrics and thrashing sounds. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "Sleater-Kinney Are Still Here to Subvert, With a New Album and Aesthetic," 6 Sep. 2019 Leave it to football to build unbearable tension before each snap and release it into catharsis or despair, depending on whether or not your team scores—and force fans to calm the nerves with a few drinks each quarter. — Baltimore Sun Staff, baltimoresun.com, "Where to watch Ravens (or your favorite NFL team) play in Baltimore," 6 Sep. 2019 Entrepreneurship as catharsis Entrepreneurship is a Zen-like path, where you’re forced to face down all of your demons and develop a steel-like inner compass. — Aimee Groth, Quartz, "Andrew Yang’s basic income plan permits Americans to fail. And that’s a good thing," 20 Aug. 2019 Unfortunately, most of the anguish, drama and visceral excitement that lead to this catharsis were lacking in Kalmar’s surprisingly mundane, often anemic reading. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Classical reviews: Perlman’s triumph at Ravinia; Grant Park’s disappointing finale," 18 Aug. 2019 Replacing Irving with Kemba Walker is a franchise’s attempt to turn the page, but there’s no catharsis quite like lining up against the face of the team’s recent troubles. — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, "Breaking Down the Top 20 Games of the 2019-20 NBA Season," 12 Aug. 2019 Bonnie, who through her mother’s death has experienced catharsis, texts Madeline, Renata, Jane, and Celeste to meet her at the police station. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, "The Disappointing, Emmy-Baiting Finale of “Big Little Lies” Season 2," 22 July 2019 These fleeting transformations, or rebirths, yield a different mess of emotions in each person, ranging from catharsis to pride to dread. — Emily Bobrow, WSJ, "‘I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like: The Art of Bill Viola’ Review: Spirituality in an Age of Irony," 9 July 2019 Plus, we all were treated to the singular catharsis of watching the brutality that the Manson crew became synonymous with get turned back around on them. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "The Ending of Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Explained," 3 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catharsis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for catharsis
catharsis
noun
English Language Learners Definition of catharsis
formal
: the act or process of releasing a strong emotion (such as pity or fear) especially by expressing it in an art form
See the full definition for catharsis in the English Language Learners Dictionary
catharsis
noun
ca·thar·sis
variants:
also katharsis \ kə-ˈthär-səs
\
\
plural catharses
also katharses\ -ˌsēz
\
\
Medical Definition of catharsis
1
: purgation
2
: elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression — compare abreaction
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