cathartic
adjective
ca·thar·tic
| \ kə-ˈthär-tik
\
\
Definition of cathartic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: of, relating to, or producing catharsis
cathartic drugs a cathartic experience
cathartic
noun
ca·thar·tic
| \ kə-ˈthär-tik
\
\
Definition of cathartic (Entry 2 of 2)
: a medicine that causes the bowels to be purged (see purge entry 1 sense 2a) : purgative
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Other Words from cathartic
Adjective
cathartically
\ kə-ˈthär-ti-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Examples of cathartic in a Sentence
Adjective
There's something cathartic about a punch in the nose. — Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated, 28 Jan. 2002 But Vietnam is hard to sell as a tidy, cathartic morality tale of troubled times overcome. — Jennifer Homans, New Republic, 2 & 9 Dec. 2002 Many veterans, at first reluctant to speak, ultimately uncorked their emotions in a cathartic explosion. — Stanley Karnow, New York Times Book Review, 22 Nov. 1992 It provokes no healthy tears, whereas Cervantes never fails … to open the cathartic floodgates. — Anthony Burgess, Homage to Qwert Yuiop: Selected Journalism 1978-1985, 1986
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
This one is a real screamer, cathartic for Vanessa Briscoe. — Mike Oliver | [email protected], al, "Lost playlist found after 31 years," 29 Aug. 2019 Amid such tragedy, there is always a desire for cathartic action, for a reparatory response commensurate with the degree of the injury. — Sam Adler-bell, The New Republic, "Don’t Give the Government More Power to Fight White Terrorism," 7 Aug. 2019 There's no time to process any of the twists, and hence no real sense of cathartic resolution. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Review: iZombie sets up strong fifth season, then whiffs the series finale," 5 Aug. 2019 To Bears fans 50 and younger, O’Bradovich is known as half of the most cathartic postgame show the city has heard. — Will Larkin, chicagotribune.com, "Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 65, Ed O’Bradovich," 3 July 2019 The most cathartic swear word is never going to be a universal. — Emma Byrne, Time, "The Absolute F-cking Best Swear Word For You," 23 Jan. 2018 Dressing up politicians who disappoint is a traditional – and cathartic -- way in several towns in the state of Chiapas of dressing them down. — Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News, "Mexican mayor paraded through town in women's clothes for failing to keep campaign promises," 3 Aug. 2019 The two-minute clip was fun, and funny; honestly, seeing someone ask Twitter for something that users have been demanding for years, and the company stubbornly refusing to deliver, was cathartic. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "It’s time to regulate tech platforms with laws, not fines," 30 July 2019 War Memorial Advisory Committee Chair Rick Adler, who was a classmate of Martell, said the unveiling of the monument was emotional and cathartic. — John Benson, cleveland.com, "Olmsted Falls’ patriotic weekend includes Vietnam Veterans Memorial unveiling and Ohio Flags of Honor exhibit," 25 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cathartic.' 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 cathartic
cathartic
adjective
ca·thar·tic
| \ kə-ˈthärt-ik
\
\
Medical Definition of cathartic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: of, relating to, or producing catharsis
cathartic
nounMedical Definition of cathartic (Entry 2 of 2)
: a cathartic medicine : purgative
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