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
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
In the hands of the six-piece band, the shivering chords of that miniature apocalyptic soul song build into a cathartic climax, which Wasner punctuates with weeping slide guitar.
—Mitch Therieau, Pitchfork, 8 Apr. 2026
While some celebrants have greeted these caricatures with cathartic jeers and sneers, others are shocked and outraged.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
The emotional combustion of his climactic scenes with Willy fail to reach cathartic levels.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cathartic
Adjective
Ball is about pageantry and realness, and what is Cats, if not a cathartic talent showcase?
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026
In the hands of the six-piece band, the shivering chords of that miniature apocalyptic soul song build into a cathartic climax, which Wasner punctuates with weeping slide guitar.
—Mitch Therieau, Pitchfork, 8 Apr. 2026
While some celebrants have greeted these caricatures with cathartic jeers and sneers, others are shocked and outraged.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
The emotional combustion of his climactic scenes with Willy fail to reach cathartic levels.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cathartic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cathartic
Adjective
-
An unexpected collaboration opportunity is very possible under today’s trine between excitable Mars and erratic Uranus.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
At the Ricardo residence in the ’50s sitcom I Love Lucy, over-the-top housewife Lucy and Ricky, her excitable husband, were always getting into some sort of entertaining hijinks.—
Michael Gioia,
Architectural Digest,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Officers then arrested Harrison and searched his body, discovering seven more bags containing drugs.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But the attack may have dealt a blow to the Mexican government’s assertions that the country is a safe place to visit, coming months after widespread attacks by criminal groups in response to a drug lord’s killing.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Snitker grew emotional while thanking his friend and mentor in his speech.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
His emotional reaction to the announcement of his name was caught on camera during the draft telecast.—
Steve Megargee,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Or merely the tall-tale purgative of a frantic Purgatorian?—
Tom Nolan,
WSJ,
11 June 2021
Adjective
-
Each meal needs to be exciting, easy, healthy, and affordable.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
21 Apr. 2026
-
This element of permanence is exciting to Stark, who has created looks for Beyoncé and has her own, body-positive line of lingerie called Panty.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, the medication was laced with fentanyl.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Revolution Medicines has received a voucher from the FDA’s Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher pilot program, which is designed to expedite the review of certain medications.—
Eva Flowe
April 21,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Don’t turn it into something that needs to be impressive or productive.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The Storm defense was impressive, allowing Birmingham to convert only 1 of 13 third-down plays in the whitewash.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This advancement could bring these powerful light sources out of massive facilities and into more accessible labs, potentially reshaping research in physics, chemistry, medicine, and industry.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Donations of clothing, food and medicine were life-saving to millions of people after World War II.—
William Lambers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cathartic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cathartic. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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