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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in drug
a substance used to induce or speed up the process of defecation
Epsom salts, when ingested, act as a cathartic.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cathartic
Zach Harper, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
Writing the memoir was cathartic for Ovesen, but the public’s reaction to the book proved detrimental to her personal and professional life.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 19 Mar. 2025
Molly Longman, refinery29.com, 11 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for cathartic
Adjective
This might have been the most cathartic action of my life.
—Zach Harper, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
Writing the memoir was cathartic for Ovesen, but the public’s reaction to the book proved detrimental to her personal and professional life.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 19 Mar. 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
-
Charlotte leaned in next to her little brother only for excitable Louis to suddenly turn, accidentally leading to a clash of heads.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Star is probably the most excitable person in the history of the show.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Methotrexate: Methotrexate is a drug used to treat cancer and some autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
3 Apr. 2025
-
These are difficult times for drug discovery and manufacturing.—
Steve Brozak,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Louis Vuitton was among the first to recognize how crucial a deep emotional connection is to a brand; the company launched its Travel Book collection in 2013.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
That emotional connection is something Stacey Younge, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Sixth Street Wellness, sees firsthand.—
Danielle James,
Vogue,
1 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
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Or merely the tall-tale purgative of a frantic Purgatorian?—
Tom Nolan,
WSJ,
11 June 2021
Adjective
-
However, for tech-minded shoppers, the sale’s most exciting deals probably involve Apple products.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Honda exec Megan Amic took to the red carpet ahead of the show to speak about the partnership, which comes at an exciting time amid award wins, festival booking and more for the R&B superstar.—
James Dinh,
Billboard,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His office initially attributed the pause to an adverse reaction to new medication.—
Katy Golvala,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Orange could be due to certain medications, or an issue with the liver or bile duct.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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While his Jackhammer is an impressive feat of strength, the Spear is what made Goldberg a monster.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Lewis comes in ranked No. 9, so a victory from Teixeira—especially an impressive one—will likely land him in the Top 10.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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New Uses for Old Drugs: Scientists are using machine learning to find new treatments among thousands of old medicines.—
Eli Tan,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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One reason is that the group's clinics are absorbing some of the patients who have lost their doctor to concierge medicine.—
Karen Brown,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cathartic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cathartic. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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