catharsis

/kəˈθɑːsɪs/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈθɑːrsɪs/ (ame, ipa) · /kə-ˈthär-səs/ (ame, mw)

catharsis — noun

  • catharsissingular
  • catharsesplural

1. the letting out of powerful feelings through art, writing, talk, or another inte

1.名詞C2
釋義

the letting out of powerful feelings through art, writing, talk, or another intense experience, leaving a person calmer or less burdened afterwards.

例句

Writing letters she never sent gave Amira a sense of catharsis after the funeral.

give someone a sense of catharsis after grief

The final scene of the play brought catharsis to the silent audience.

bring catharsis to an audience through art

同義詞
  • release

    broader and more everyday; it can be emotional or physical

  • relief

    focuses more on the calmer feeling after pressure ends

  • purging

    more forceful and less common in ordinary conversation

反義詞
  • repression

    suggests keeping difficult feelings pushed down instead of letting them out

文法句型

feel catharsis

find catharsis in + activity

bring catharsis to + audience

用法筆記

Often used for release that comes through art, therapy, grief, or intense conversation. Distinguish it from simple relief: catharsis focuses on letting feelings out, not just feeling better afterwards.

常見錯誤

❌Winning the prize gave me catharsis because I was happy.
✅Talking about my brother's death gave me catharsis.
💡catharsis is release from built-up emotion, not just any strong feeling.

2. the emptying of the bowels as the body is strongly purged, especially after medi

2.名詞C2
釋義

the emptying of the bowels as the body is strongly purged, especially after medicine meant to clear the system.

例句

The old treatment caused catharsis, so the doctor kept Mira near a bathroom.

medical subject + caused catharsis

After the bitter medicine, catharsis began within an hour.

同義詞
  • purgation

    a close formal medical synonym

  • evacuation

    describes the bowel-emptying act more directly

反義詞

文法句型

cause catharsis

catharsis after + medicine

watch for catharsis

用法筆記

This is a specialist medical use and is much rarer than sense 1. It refers to physical bowel emptying, not to emotional release through art or therapy.