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View synonyms for

catharsis

[ kuh-thahr-sis ]

noun

plural catharses
  1. the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.
  2. Medicine/Medical. purgation.
  3. Psychiatry.
    1. psychotherapy that encourages or permits the discharge of pent-up, socially unacceptable affects.
    2. discharge of pent-up emotions so as to result in the alleviation of symptoms or the permanent relief of the condition.


catharsis

/ əˈθɑːɪ /

noun

  1. (in Aristotelian literary criticism) the purging or purification of the emotions through the evocation of pity and fear, as in tragedy
  2. psychoanal the bringing of repressed ideas or experiences into consciousness, thus relieving tensions See also abreaction
  3. purgation, esp of the bowels
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

catharsis

  1. An experience of emotional release and purification, often inspired by or through art. In psychoanalysis , catharsis is the release of tension and anxiety that results from bringing repressed feelings and memories into consciousness.
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Other Word Forms

  • p··ٳ󲹰s noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of catharsis1

First recorded in 1795–1805; from New Latin, from Greek áٳ󲹰 “a cleansing,” equivalent to kathar- (variant stem of 첹ٳí𾱲 “to cleanse,” derivative of 첹ٳ󲹰ó “pure”) + -sis -sis
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Word History and Origins

Origin of catharsis1

C19: New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein to purge, purify
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

His grand denouement is meant to be a catharsis for a deliberately corrective slice of emotional history.

From

And yet, by film’s end, we’re left with smiling admiration for its peculiarity and artistry instead of a catharsis, because too much of “The Legend of Ochi” feels like a presentation.

From

From the “Road to” series through buddy action movies and bromances, male friendship as comic fodder has been a constant pull, one that has increasingly favored immaturity as the catharsis.

From

You give us a day like that, that’s pure catharsis for both character and performer, we get giddy.

From

These films have run the gamut — sometimes focusing on the survivors, sometimes on the shooters, sometimes on the parents — and likewise their strategies have varied, either promising catharsis, hope or insight.

From

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