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
Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 7 July 2025
But the picture’s cartoonish brutality is cathartic.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 June 2025
Molly Longman, refinery29.com, 11 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for cathartic
Adjective
With searing performances from Colman Domingo and formerly imprisoned actors playing versions of themselves, Sing Sing avoids the flashier histrionics of a typical prison drama and instead illuminates the transformative, cathartic power of art.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 7 July 2025
But the picture’s cartoonish brutality is cathartic.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 June 2025
Noun
Some people find free-writing in a journal cathartic.
—Molly Longman, refinery29.com, 11 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for cathartic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cathartic
Adjective
-
In the emotionally complex role of Bert, Jonathan West gives a winning turn that’s all heart – just like a Golden – and makes a great team with Jamie Elvey’s excitable but pragmatic Trixie.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
30 July 2025
-
Second, from a real-world perspective, if a dog is highly excitable or reactive, certain programming might overstimulate or stress them.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
17 July 2025
Noun
-
In older adults, the drug can stay in the body for up to 18 hours, resulting in lingering sleepiness, disorientation and increasing risk of falling.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Canada rebukes this, saying only tiny amounts of the drug are smuggled into the United States over their common border.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
They are then adopted out to be a pet or are placed in police, fire and EMS stations to provide emotional support.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
The vote dashed the hopes of those with the 156-year-old Art Academy, who gave emotional pleas in recent weeks to city leaders for help.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
30 July 2025
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
-
Enter Kampar, just south of Philadelphia’s South Street in the Queen Village neighborhood, featuring a ground-floor tasting menu-only dinner service; above it, Kongsi, its casual counterpart, pairing Malaysian street food flavors with exciting cocktails.—
Alisha Miranda,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 July 2025
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The rapper dominates one genre-specific tally with tunes from the set, pushing his career total considerably higher thanks to his exciting new full-length.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Pain control: Give your loved one their pain medications as prescribed, and call their doctor if the pain seems uncontrolled.—
Carrie Madormo,
Health,
3 Aug. 2025
-
Besides pain medications to relieve symptoms as well as antibiotics to treat infections, hydroxyurea—a bone marrow suppressive agent that decreases red blood cell production—can be used to reduce the frequency of painful episodes.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This image represents one of the first times that astronomers have obtained images of thousands of star-forming regions at this impressive level of detail.—
Rebecca McClain,
Space.com,
31 July 2025
-
Cloves, which are commonly used in cooking and baking, pack an impressive amount of inflammation-fighting compounds.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Over-the-counter medicine can also minimize inflammation and pain.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
26 July 2025
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The array of meditative healing rituals and energy sessions, such as a medicine wheel ceremony, aura photography, past life regression session, hypnosis, and reiki, takes full advantage of local Sedona experts in these areas.—
Devorah Lev-Tov,
Travel + Leisure,
26 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cathartic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cathartic. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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