purgation

noun

pur·​ga·​tion ˌpər-ˈgā-shən 

: the act or result of purging

Examples of purgation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hungary now faces the prospect of a contentious and divisive purgation of his minions at all levels of society. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2026

Yet the consequences of viewing restitution as a ritual of guilt and atonement, of self-purification through self-purgation, cannot be waved away. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2022

If moviegoing is an act of ritual purgation, Cage must be its high priest, his performances a kind of ecstatic self-flagellation through which we’re cleansed—or, to use Kidman’s term, reborn. — Dan Piepenbring, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022

Frozen yogurt in the afterlife The seventh and eighth centuries saw the growth of teaching about an intermediate place where souls undergo purification and purgation. — Matthew Robert Anderson, Quartzy, 27 Nov. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for purgation

• ablation
• aeration
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation

Medical Definition

purgation

noun

pur·​ga·​tion ˌpər-ˈgā-shən 

1

: the act of purging

specifically : vigorous evacuation of the bowels (as from the action of a cathartic or an infectious agent)

2

: administration of or treatment with a purgative

Legal Definition

purgation

noun

pur·​ga·​tion pər-ˈgā-shən 

: the act or the result of purging