1. A substance or medication that causes bowel movements; a laxative.
Usage: Medical/pharmaceutical term; Plural form

1. Relating to or having the effect of a cathartic; causing emotional release or purification.
Usage: Often used figuratively in psychology and literature

Examples

• The doctor prescribed cathartics to relieve the patient's constipation.
• Certain cathartics work more gently than others and are safer for regular use.
• Writing in her journal proved to be a cathartic experience for her.
• The film had a cathartic effect on the audience, allowing them to release pent-up emotions.
• Crying can be cathartic when you're dealing with grief.
• The protagonist's confession was a cathartic moment in the novel.