exorcise

Definition

Verb:
- To expel or drive out (an evil spirit or other unwanted presence) through adjuration, prayers, or rituals: The core meaning involves using sacred words, commands, or ceremonies to force a malevolent entity to leave a person or place.
- To free (someone or something) from a malevolent influence or obsession: This extends the meaning to the act of liberation from a perceived negative force, not necessarily a literal spirit.

Usage and Examples

Verb:
- The priest was called to exorcise the haunted house. (The priest was summoned to drive out the evil spirits from the haunted house using ritual.)
- She felt the therapy session helped exorcise her childhood demons. (Here, 'demons' is metaphorical; the therapy helped free her from persistent negative memories or trauma.)
- The ceremony aimed to exorcise the ghost from the village well. (The ritual's purpose was to expel the ghost.)

Advanced Usage

"to exorcise a memory/ghost": to rid oneself of a troubling memory or a metaphorical 'ghost' from the past.
- He wrote the novel to exorcise the ghosts of his wartime experiences. (He wrote to purge himself of the lingering psychological effects.)
"to exorcise a place of evil": to purify a location from evil influences.
- The ancient rite was performed to exorcise the forest of its dark energy.

Variants and Related Words

Exorcism (n): The act or ceremony of exorcising.
- They performed an exorcism on the afflicted patient.
Exorcist (n): A person who performs exorcisms.
- The movie is about a famous exorcist.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases and Idioms

To exorcise one's demons: A common idiomatic expression meaning to confront and overcome one's deep-seated fears, guilt, or psychological problems.
- Through meditation, he sought to exorcise his demons and find inner peace.

Verb

Khám phá thêm

Các từ liên quan

Từ đồng nghĩa

Từ gần giống

Từ chứa "exorcise"

Từ có nhắc đến "exorcise"