catharsis

noun

ca·​thar·​sis kə-ˈthär-səs 

plural catharses kə-ˈthär-ˌsēz 

1

a

: purification or purgation of the emotions (such as pity and fear) primarily through art

b

: a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension

2

: elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression

3

: purgation

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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.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s catharsis in being able to explain the otherwise inexplicable. —Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2024

Even compared with a show like Reservation Dogs, which drew intense emotional catharsis out of intimate moments, Somebody Somewhere remained restrained, precisely because Sam doesn’t have the deep communal connections that would allow her sister’s death to resonate throughout the story as broadly. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024

Villeneuve described the fulfillment of his goal as both an emotional catharsis and yet another step in a lifelong artistic evolution. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Dec. 2024

Knock on doors, talk to voters, and generally move away from emotional catharsis and toward cooperation and collaboration. —Keren Landman, Vox, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein to cleanse, purge, from katharos

First Known Use

circa 1775, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

catharsis

noun

ca·​thar·​sis

kə-ˈthär-səs

formal

: the act or process of relieving a strong emotion (as pity or fear) especially by expressing it in art form

cathartic

-ˈthärt-ik

adjective

Medical Definition

catharsis

noun

ca·​thar·​sis

variants also katharsis

kə-ˈthär-səs 

plural catharses also katharses -ˌsēz 

1

: purgation

2

: elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression compare abreaction