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.

Theater makes much of the element of catharsis, but rarely is a show purgative all the way through, as the choreopoem “Queens of Sheba” is.

From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2024

The juxtaposition of such a technologically enabled act — I recorded, therefore I was — and the most basic and purgative of elements invites irony where it is least wanted.

From Washington Post • Nov. 16, 2018

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

From The New Yorker • Jan. 3, 2017

I knew that my impulsive behavior was sparked by the emotional energy I had just absorbed from Pud’s funeral, and somehow I felt this a necessary finale, or purgative.

From The Guardian • Nov. 9, 2015

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