First Known Use: circa 1775
Dictionary
catharsis
noun ca·thar·sis \kə-ˈthär-səs\
: the act or process of releasing a strong emotion (such as pity or fear) especially by expressing it in an art form
plural ca·thar·ses \-ˌsēz\
Full Definition of CATHARSIS
1
2
a : purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art b : a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension
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Examples of CATHARSIS
- 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
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Origin of CATHARSIS
New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein to cleanse, purge, from katharos
Other Psychology Terms
Medical Dictionary
catharsis
noun ca·thar·sis
plural ca·thar·ses also ka·thar·ses \-ˌsēz\
Medical Definition of CATHARSIS
1
2
: elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression—compare abreaction
Variants of CATHARSIS
ca·thar·sis also ka·thar·sis \kə-ˈthär-səs\
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