noun Download 🔗Share A release of emotional tension after an overwhelming vicarious experience, resulting in the purging or purification of the emotions, as through watching a dramatic production (especially a tragedy). Examples : "After witnessing the powerful play about a family overcoming hardship, she felt a profound sense of catharsis, finally able to let go of some of her own pent-up anxieties. " mind emotion literature entertainment art philosophy soul stage Chat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun Download 🔗Share Any release of emotional tension to the same effect, more widely. Examples : "After a long, stressful day at work, a good cry provided a welcome catharsis. " mind emotion literature art Chat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun Download 🔗Share A purification or cleansing, especially emotional. Examples : "After a long argument with her sister, Maria felt a sense of catharsis after finally expressing all her frustrations. " mind emotion soul literature philosophy Chat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun Download 🔗Share A therapeutic technique to relieve tension by re-establishing the association of an emotion with the memory or idea of the event that first caused it, and then eliminating it by complete expression (called the abreaction). Examples : "After years of silence about the accident, talking openly about it with a therapist finally brought Sarah a feeling of catharsis. " mind medicine emotion soul philosophy literature Chat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun Download 🔗Share Purging of the digestive system. Examples : "After accidentally swallowing a large amount of cleaning fluid, the doctor recommended immediate catharsis to rid his body of the poison. " physiology medicine body Chat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading