noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/kəˈθɑːsɪs/
US:/kəˈθɑɹˌsɪs/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AH0 TH AA1 R S AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
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).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any release of emotional tension to the same effect, more widely.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A purification or cleansing, especially emotional.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A therapeutic technique to relieve tension by reestablishing 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).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, psychology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Purging of the digestive system.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
(psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: katharsis, abreaction
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: purge, purging
7
noun
Meaning 7
purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate evacuation of the bowels
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: katharsis, purgation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: purge, purging
History
Etymology
From Ancient Greek κάθαρσις (kátharsis, “cleansing, purging”), from καθαίρω (kathaírō, “I cleanse”). Coined in the dramatic-emotional sense by Aristotle.
Across languages
Translations
58 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
تَنْفِيس
(tanfīs)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Bulgarian:
катарзис
(katarzis)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Catalan:
catarsi
— drama: release of emotional tension
Chinese Mandarin:
導瀉 /导泻
(dǎoxiè)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Chinese Mandarin:
宣洩 /宣泄
(xuānxiè)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Danish:
katarsis
— drama: release of emotional tension
Faroese:
reinleikan
— drama: release of emotional tension
Finnish:
katarsis
— drama: release of emotional tension
French:
catharsis
— drama: release of emotional tension
German:
Katharsis
— drama: release of emotional tension
Greek:
κάθαρση
(kátharsi)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Ancient Greek:
κάθαρσις
(kátharsis)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Hebrew:
קתרזיס
(qatarzis)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Hindi:
तनफ़ीस
(tanfīs)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Hungarian:
katarzis
— drama: release of emotional tension
Icelandic:
geðhreinsun
— drama: release of emotional tension
Ido:
katarso
— drama: release of emotional tension
Italian:
catarsi
— drama: release of emotional tension
Japanese:
カタルシス
(katarushisu)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Japanese:
浄化
(jouka)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Polish:
katharsis
— drama: release of emotional tension
Portuguese:
catarse
— drama: release of emotional tension
Russian:
ката́рсис
(katársis)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Russian:
ка́тарсис
(kátarsis)
— drama: release of emotional tension
Serbo-Croatian:
катарза
— drama: release of emotional tension
Serbo-Croatian:
katarza
— drama: release of emotional tension
Slovak:
katarzia
— drama: release of emotional tension
Spanish:
catarsis
— drama: release of emotional tension
Swedish:
katarsis
— drama: release of emotional tension
Turkish:
katarsis
— drama: release of emotional tension
Catalan:
catarsi
— any release of emotional tension
Danish:
katarsis
— any release of emotional tension
Finnish:
katarsis
— any release of emotional tension
French:
défoulement
— any release of emotional tension
German:
Katharsis
— any release of emotional tension
Greek:
κάθαρση
(kátharsi)
— any release of emotional tension
Hungarian:
katarzis
— any release of emotional tension
Italian:
catarsi
— any release of emotional tension
Japanese:
発散
(hassan)
— any release of emotional tension
Japanese:
排出
(haishutsu)
— any release of emotional tension
Japanese:
解消
(kaishou)
— any release of emotional tension
Māori:
whakamaheatanga
— any release of emotional tension
Polish:
katharsis
— any release of emotional tension
Portuguese:
catarse
— any release of emotional tension
Russian:
ката́рсис
(katársis)
— any release of emotional tension
Russian:
ка́тарсис
(kátarsis)
— any release of emotional tension
Serbo-Croatian:
катарза
— any release of emotional tension
Serbo-Croatian:
katarza
— any release of emotional tension
Spanish:
catarsis
— any release of emotional tension
