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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 catharsis in a Sentence
She has learned to have her catharsis, take a deep breath and move on. … she does not dwell on the negative anymore.
—
Selena Roberts, New York Times, 24 June 2001
… malevolence is expressed in his decision to absent himself from the courtroom, thereby denying some victims of his torture the catharsis of compelling him to hear their stories of survival.
—George F. Will, Newsweek, 25 May 1987
… there's the need for catharsis. If you play it all back a second time, you may wear away some of the pain, as you wear away a record with replaying.
—Anatole Broyard, New York Times Book Review, 14 Nov. 1982
As soon as we emerged from the gates of the White House, I became aware of that sea of faces. … I wanted to cry for them and with them, but it was impossible to permit the catharsis of tears.
—Lady Bird Johnson 24 Nov. 1963,
in A White House Diary, 1970
Acting is a means of catharsis for her.
Painting is a catharsis for me.
Selena Roberts, New York Times, 24 June 2001
… malevolence is expressed in his decision to absent himself from the courtroom, thereby denying some victims of his torture the catharsis of compelling him to hear their stories of survival.
—George F. Will, Newsweek, 25 May 1987
… there's the need for catharsis. If you play it all back a second time, you may wear away some of the pain, as you wear away a record with replaying.
—Anatole Broyard, New York Times Book Review, 14 Nov. 1982
As soon as we emerged from the gates of the White House, I became aware of that sea of faces. … I wanted to cry for them and with them, but it was impossible to permit the catharsis of tears.
—Lady Bird Johnson 24 Nov. 1963,
in A White House Diary, 1970
Acting is a means of catharsis for her.
Painting is a catharsis for me.
Recent Examples on the Web
Removing those hazards is cathartic — and Last of Us wants to complicate that catharsis, often leaving you with no other options.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
What the characters can or cannot do in response, and the catharsis they’re prevented from attaining, are both key parts of their story, and of life in the West Bank at large — a reality Nabulsi conveys in stark, realistic hues, despite her first-feature growing pains.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
With the Geils band, the whole thing came down to the break-up of the band, and the emotional catharsis of that, after 17 and a half years of devotion.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
His stand-up will either wind you up or feel like catharsis.
—Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catharsis
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Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
What the characters can or cannot do in response, and the catharsis they’re prevented from attaining, are both key parts of their story, and of life in the West Bank at large — a reality Nabulsi conveys in stark, realistic hues, despite her first-feature growing pains.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
With the Geils band, the whole thing came down to the break-up of the band, and the emotional catharsis of that, after 17 and a half years of devotion.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
His stand-up will either wind you up or feel like catharsis.
—Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catharsis
Cite this Entry
“Catharsis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catharsis. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
catharsis
noun
ca·thar·sis
variants
also katharsis
plural catharses also katharses
-ˌsēz 
1
2
: elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression compare abreaction
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