as in excitable
bringing about a relief from strong emotions usually by expressing them
It was very cathartic to finally tell my childhood bully exactly what I thought of him.
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as in drug
a substance used to induce or speed up the process of defecation
Epsom salts, when ingested, act as a cathartic.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cathartic
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Manager Dave Roberts confessed that the sweep was more than just a little bit cathartic for the Dodgers, coming out of their previous rough patch.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
For frustrated Democratic voters, Booker’s comments are probably cathartic.
—David M. Drucker, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2025
But after a chance to confront the director decades later, the experience became cathartic proof to Brugel of how far industry attitudes — and her own confidence — had evolved.
—Cynthia Reason, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cathartic
Adjective
At one point, MacLachlan orchestrates a heart-stopping moment of reckoning for Bill and Tammy, written with a sudden, cathartic directness—a break in their usual language of deferential hesitations—which the actors underplay to perfection.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Manager Dave Roberts confessed that the sweep was more than just a little bit cathartic for the Dodgers, coming out of their previous rough patch.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
For frustrated Democratic voters, Booker’s comments are probably cathartic.
—David M. Drucker, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2025
But after a chance to confront the director decades later, the experience became cathartic proof to Brugel of how far industry attitudes — and her own confidence — had evolved.
—Cynthia Reason, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cathartic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cathartic
Adjective
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When pyramidal cells are too excitable, memory processing becomes noisy and disorganized.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Tony has fully bought into the dream, and Skarsgård plays him with excitable, boyish humor, almost as if the whole thing were a game.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lucy and Pickard receive treatment through intravenous (IV) ketamine therapy ‒ a legal but off-label use of the drug.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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That behavior included drug use and related incidents, and disparaging comments about series co-creator Chuck Lorre.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To navigate emotional volatility, understand what behaviors are acceptable to you and create clear boundaries with the ones that are not.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The emotions of that victory two years ago were apparent at the time — Sirianni was bombastic exiting the field after the emotional win — but there is no concept of revenge this time.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sales of purgatives, tonics, syrups and patent medicines like Carter’s Little Liver Pills went through the roof as ordinary people were encouraged to closely monitor the frequency and quality of their bowel movements.—
Elsa Richardson,
TIME,
3 Oct. 2024
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Or merely the tall-tale purgative of a frantic Purgatorian?—
Tom Nolan,
WSJ,
11 June 2021
Adjective
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Other exciting territory in The Grand Finale involved Mary’s changing relationship with the other Crawley women.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
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That’s more exciting to me than last year, when James swept the fiction categories, with even the Pulitzer board overriding their fiction judges to award the big prize to Percival Everett’s novel.—
Maris Kreizman,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Many parents from my practice share a common concern about their children taking asthma medications with steroids.—
Rhonda Conner-Warren,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
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Some experts believe that certain medications — a category called fall risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs) — could be to blame.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yet last week’s warning from Jet2, a business respected for its cost control and excellent customer service, has served as a reminder that, for all the impressive growth of recent years, this remains a volatile and sometimes unpredictable sector.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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This ambitious tour spans multiple continents, covering several countries and cities with an impressive run of dates.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Goldenberg’s path to medicine began at a young age.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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The substances in the reports included common household products such as pain relievers, antihistamines, cold medicines and vitamins, the study said.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cathartic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cathartic. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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