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catharsis

kəˈθɑːrsɪsnoun

What does catharsis mean?

A release of strong feelings that leaves you lighter.

Catharsis, six ways

PlainA release of strong feelings that leaves you lighter.
ADHDThe big release. Cry it out. Feel better after.
Gen ZThat ugly cry at a movie that somehow fixes your week.
MetaphorThe storm that clears the air.
FormalThe process of releasing strong or repressed emotions, and the relief that follows.
Like I’m 5When you let out a big feeling, like crying, and then you feel better. That’s catharsis.

How to pronounce catharsis

kuh-THAR-sis/kəˈθɑːrsɪs/

Catharsis in a sentence

Writing the letter was a catharsis.
A good cry at the movies can be a catharsis.
Aristotle saw catharsis as the work of tragedy.

Synonyms for catharsis

releasePlainer; any letting go.
purgeStronger, and less gentle.
reliefThe feeling after, not the release itself.

Where catharsis comes from

Greek. Katharsis, a cleansing, from kathairein, to purify. Aristotle used it in the Poetics for what tragedy does to its audience.

Good to know

Aristotle used it for what tragedy does to an audience: pity and fear, felt and let go. The adjective is cathartic.

Catharsis meaning, on a Gloss card: A release of strong feelings that leaves you lighter.

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