cathartic

• As for myself, riding about on mules, or horses, for six to ten hours at a stretch—burning in sun or soaking in rain—over the most entirely breakneck roads and tracks I have ever made acquaintance with, except perhaps in Morocco—has proved a most excellent tonic, cathartic, and alterative all in one. —  The Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley Volume 3
• And it was cathartic, already making her feel better, bringing to an end this awful part of her life. —  CourtingTrouble
• 'Oceans', while 'Garden' is dull and 'Release' would be far more effective as a cathartic closer if it didn't follow such an unsettled sequence of songs. —  Drowned In Sound // Feed
• The anguish and sobs were a drastically needed cathartic, and afterwards I felt free and refreshed, relieved of the burden of sin and estrangement that is an inevitable part of the human condition. —  altmuslim
• On the other hand, City Song is a well paced closer, returning to opener Absentee's theme of getting out and getting on with your life, starting anew, paring back the backing just enough for the cathartic emotional strike of the last two lines to retain their hit. —  Sweeping The Nation

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the Same Context