cathartics

noun

plural of cathartic
as in drugs
a substance used to induce or speed up the process of defecation Epsom salts, when ingested, act as a cathartic.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cathartics
  1. drugs
  2. medications
  3. medicines
  4. pharmaceuticals
  5. remedies
Noun
  • And the core patents on blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Wegovy will expire in the early 2030s, meaning generic versions will likely hit the market soon after.
    — Dr. Bowman Heiden, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The drugs are prescribed for a growing number of conditions and come with a range of side effects.
    — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of drugs
Noun
  • Good news, bad news on opioids More young people are being treated for opioid use disorder with medications.
    — Amanda Erickson, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • These medications include blood thinner, insulin, chemotherapy drugs, and opioid pain medication.
    — Esha Desai, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of medications
Noun
  • Novo added that the manufacturing site issues do not impact any of its other medicines currently on the market.
    — Ed Silverman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The next generation of blockbuster obesity drugs isn’t trying to replace GLP-1 medicines.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of medicines
Noun
  • Methylene chloride, also known as Dichloromethane (DCM), is an industrial solvent typically used in adhesives, paint and coating products, pharmaceuticals, metal cleaning, chemical processing, and aerosols.
    — Logan Smith, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026
  • An argument that resonated with lawmakers during their briefing was comparing regulation of AI to the FDA ensuring the safety of pharmaceuticals, Hinton told the Atlantic.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of pharmaceuticals
Noun
  • Luckily, those diseases can be cured by antibiotics or other remedies.
    — Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • If individuals violate the policy, the CSU may pursue discipline, seek intervention by law enforcement or pursue civil remedies.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of remedies
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

cathartic
cathartics
cathedral
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cathartics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cathartics. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All