exorcism

IPA/ˈeksɔːsɪzəm/
KK[ˈɛksɚsˌɪzəm]IPA/ˈeksɔːrsɪzəm/

exorcism — noun

  • exorcismsingular
  • exorcismsplural

1. a religious ceremony where a priest or holy person drives an evil spirit out of

1.nounB2
Definition

a religious ceremony where a priest or holy person drives an evil spirit out of a person or place, using prayers and sacred objects

Example

Father Okonkwo performed an exorcism on the young woman who had stopped speaking entirely.

collocation: perform an exorcism

Elder Zhang called for an exorcism after villagers heard strange wails from the old temple.

collocation: call for an exorcism

Common collocations
  • perform an exorcism
  • carry out an exorcism
  • exorcism ritual
  • exorcism prayer
  • rite of exorcism
  • exorcism ceremony
Synonyms
  • deliverance

    broader Christian term for rescue from any evil or danger, not only from spirits

  • cleansing

    more general; can be spiritual or physical and does not always involve a specialist

  • expulsion

    neutral term for forcing something out; lacks the sacred or religious dimension

Antonyms
  • possession

    the state of being controlled or inhabited by a spirit or demon

Usage Note

Typically performed by a priest, shaman, or religious specialist within a formal ritual context. The ceremony often involves spoken prayers, holy water, and sacred objects.

Common Mistakes

The exorcist took three hours.
The exorcism took three hours.
an exorcist is the person who leads the ritual; exorcism is the ritual itself.

2. the psychological work of facing a deeply troubling memory or past event and gra

2.nounC1
Definition

the psychological work of facing a deeply troubling memory or past event and gradually freeing yourself from its hold

Example

Priyanka painted her late mother's house as an exorcism of old, buried grief.

figurative: exorcism of [emotion]

Dmitri burned the old letters — a quiet exorcism of a friendship that had soured.

Common collocations
  • an exorcism of the past
  • a kind of exorcism
  • a personal exorcism
  • a quiet exorcism
Synonyms
  • catharsis

    more passive; a sudden release of emotion rather than a deliberate working-through

  • purging

    often physical or medical; can imply a rougher, less reflective process

  • release

    broader and less intense; does not carry the sense of driving something out

Antonyms
  • repression

    pushing memories or feelings down rather than actively confronting them

  • suppression

    consciously holding back emotions instead of working through them

Usage Note

Figurative; no actual spirits are involved. Describes an emotional or psychological process, not a religious ceremony. Distinguish from sense 1 (DRIVING OUT SPIRITS), which refers to literal religious rituals.

Common Mistakes

Crying at the film was an exorcism for her.
Crying at the film was cathartic for her.
exorcism implies a deliberate, often prolonged process; a sudden emotional release is better called catharsis.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Deliverance is a broader term used mainly in Protestant Christian contexts for rescue from any evil or danger, not only from spirits — a person can pray for deliverance from addiction or poverty. Cleansing can be spiritual or physical: you can cleanse a wound, a house, or your conscience, and it does not always imply a ritual specialist. Purification emphasises removing impurity rather than expelling a hostile entity; it appears in many religious traditions, from Shinto to Hinduism. Expulsion is the most neutral term — a school can expel a student, a body can expel a toxin — but it carries no sacred dimension. Only exorcism names the specific act of a priest or holy person driving a demon out through formal religious rites. If you say 'the priest performed an exorcism,' you are describing a recognised ritual; if you say 'the priest performed a cleansing,' you could be talking about blessing a home.

deliverance ↗cleansing ↗purification ↗expulsion ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • exorcism of

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin exorcismus, borrowed from Greek exorkizein meaning 'to drive out by oath' or 'to bind by oath.' The Greek root breaks down into ex- ('out') and horkizein ('to make someone swear'). In early Christian usage, the word referred specifically to the ritual of commanding demons to leave a possessed person in the name of God. The figurative sense — freeing oneself from a painful memory — emerged much later, in the 20th century, as the word loosened from its strictly religious moorings.