Word Frequency
catharsis (kəˈθɑːsɪs
)
Definitions
noun
(plural) -ses- (in Aristotelian literary criticism) the purging or purification of the emotions through the evocation of pity and fear, as in tragedy
- (psychoanalysis) the bringing of repressed ideas or experiences into consciousness, thus relieving tensions See also abreaction
- purgation, esp of the bowels
Word Origin
C19: New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein to purge, purifyExample Sentences Including 'catharsis'
"CHURCH ABUSE survivors Shirley Armstrong, Elizabeth McKenna and David Gagnon are looking for a " catharsis.Ottawa Sun (2003)
"I think they've been through some sort of catharsis ," Preston says.Irish Times (2002)
Busybody that I am, I thought it might prove a form of catharsis , get some of the anger out of his system.Something in the Water
His eyes burned with the kind of fire only catharsis can bank.Death of a Nymph
I think the reforms process would not have created the confusion it has had we envisioned the aftermath of this catharsis.India Today (1997)
Lionel recounted in the Observer what happened next, in what he described as an act of personal catharsis.KANDAHAR COCKNEY: A Tale of Two Worlds (2004)
Newsweek, described, `The catharsis of emotional exhibitionism".Independent (1998)
Walsh was still unsure how genuine the catharsis of guilt really was.Riot
We know too keenly that no debate can ever capture the emotions that were laid bare in a process that launched our nation's catharsis.Independent (1999)
Sponsored Links
Log in to comment on this word.
Comments