exorcise

Purge evil spirits

To exorcise is to drive out an evil spirit through ritual or prayer: The priest exorcised the demon from the possessed girl.

By extension, exorcise means to rid oneself of troubling thoughts, memories, or influences: She wrote the memoir to exorcise her childhood trauma.

The spelling exorcize is also standard.

expel

banish

Officially send away

purge · remove · eject · oust · dislodge · repel · expunge · rid · cleanse · liberate

ritual

incantation

Spoken magical formula

  • riteCeremonial act or practice
  • ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
  • chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase

invocation · sacrament · séance · conjuration · liturgy · prayer · holy water · amulet · talisman · altar

supernatural

demon

Malevolent supernatural being

poltergeist · specter · phantom · apparition · haunting · evil · curse · malevolent · djinn · dybbuk

religious

priest

One who performs sacraments

sacred · holy · divine intervention · salvation · spiritual warfare · saint · cross · crucifix · scripture · bishop

emotional

trauma

Lasting psychological wound

  • griefIntense sorrow from loss
  • memoryMind's retention capacity
  • fearEmotional response to threat

anxiety · guilt · obsession · past · demons · baggage · letting go · release · healing · therapy

Categories
Opposites
spiritual presence

exorcisesummon

Call to appear

invoke · conjure · invite · call forth · possess

retention vs. removal

exorciseretain

Keep possession of

keep · hold · harbor · embrace · hold onto

spiritual purity

exorcisedefile

To violate sanctity

corrupt · possess · curse · desecrate · profane

Phrases
Family

exorcism, exorcist, exorcize, exorcised, exorciser, exorcising, exorcizes, exorcises, exorcized

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG