cathartic

1 of 2

adjective

ca·​thar·​tic kə-ˈthär-tik 

: of, relating to, or producing catharsis

cathartic drugs

a cathartic experience

cathartically

kə-ˈthär-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

cathartic

2 of 2

noun

: a medicine that causes the bowels to be purged (see purge entry 1 sense 2a) : purgative

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Word History of Catharsis and Cathartic

Catharsis and cathartic both trace to the Greek word kathairein, meaning “to cleanse, purge.” Catharsis entered English as a medical term having to do with purging the body—and especially the bowels—of unwanted material. The adjective cathartic entered English with a meaning descriptive of such a physically cleansing purge. It didn’t take long for people to start using these words figuratively in reference to emotional release and spiritual cleansing.

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

As Estes notes, more than a few of these products had active ingredients that were cathartic or purgative, a fact rarely noted on labels. —Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 4 May 2026

Pharoah won the Triple Crown in 2015, breaking a then 37-year-old hex that created a near cathartic roar at Belmont Park. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 1 May 2026

Her 10-episode first season isn’t just an allegory for learning to accept and conquer life’s inescapable anxieties; its horrors are irrefutable for everyone onscreen, which makes for a cathartic, curious, and chilling experience for everyone watching at home. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026

The blend of horror and comedy — two genres driven by tension that culminates in a cathartic payoff — has thrived in recent years at the box office, championed by auteurs like Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger. —Alison Herman, Variety, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Late Latin or Greek; Late Latin catharticus, from Greek kathartikos, from kathairein — see catharsis

First Known Use

Adjective

1612, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1651, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cathartic

• artic

Kids Definition

cathartic

noun

ca·​thar·​tic

kə-ˈthärt-ik

: a strong laxative

cathartic adjective

Medical Definition

cathartic

1 of 2 adjective

ca·​thar·​tic kə-ˈthärt-ik 

: of, relating to, or producing catharsis

cathartic

2 of 2 noun

: a cathartic medicine : purgative