purgative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Taking out the trash is like administering a purgative to my house.

From Washington Post • Oct. 28, 2019

Sacrifices come in different hues — purgative, nihilistic — but some of the most memorable involve a greater love in which characters selflessly lay down their lives for others.

From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2018

The last act of a Shakespearean tragedy always brings such purgative reckonings.

From The Guardian • Sep. 29, 2018

And this, too, felt like a purgative end to 2016.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 3, 2017

To bring them into balance, Dr. Harlow prescribes two powerful drugs—an "emetic" to make Phineas throw up and a "purgative," a powerful laxative, to evacuate his bowels.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman