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
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
This might have been the most cathartic action of my life.
—Zach Harper, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
Molly Longman, refinery29.com, 11 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for cathartic
Adjective
Nihilistic action comedies such as Novocaine are built on juxtaposing irreverent humor with cathartic carnage, which can sometimes feel off-putting and contrived.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
This might have been the most cathartic action of my life.
—Zach Harper, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 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
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And if Django’s Billy Crash tapped into Goggins’s ability to thrive with brutal spite, Mannix plays more to Goggins’s excitable energy and capacity for being clever (even when his character seems to be anything but).—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
-
For someone so obsessed with the granular details of carbohydrates and fueling, Roche runs with an easy, excitable freedom.—
Devin Kelly,
Outside Online,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
On October 1, 2008, not long after Anastasio graduated from drug court, Phish announced its return, beginning with three shows at Hampton Coliseum the following March.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Pfizer is betting on its pipeline of cancer drugs to deliver long-term growth, but has emphasized that obesity is a key focus.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Season 7’s sleek, six-episode lineup is drawing some of its best reviews to date, with critics praising the emotional complexity, tonal range, and sharp storytelling.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2025
-
For Liv in particular, their idea of what that final ride on the plane was going to be was an emotional one.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 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
-
In my view, this is one of the more exciting uses of a foldable display in PCs because people like the portability of 13-inch laptops, but not necessarily the actual size of the display.—
Anshel Sag,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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After competing to see who could thread a cushion full of needles the quickest (which still managed to be more exciting than Squid Game: The Challenge's anticlimactic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors), the final three took their places behind their boxes for one final game.—
Jillian Sederholm,
EW.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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However, the promising molecule required double the number of steps to build than typical small-molecule medications.—
Alice Park,
Time,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Schroeder was relying on anxiety and anti-depression medications to get through the day.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Economic growth − uneven and fragile In raw numbers, Cambodia’s economic progress over the past two decades has been impressive.—
Sophal Ear,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
-
To win a fight with so much emotion behind it, and to have submitted a fighter as skilled on the ground as Mitchell is one of the more impressive wins of 2025.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
More human studies are needed to understand how NAD+ supplements work or affect other medicines.—
Emmanuella Ogbonna,
Health,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Progress in health and medicine is giving us all the opportunity to live longer.—
Phyllis Ferrell,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cathartic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cathartic. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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