exorcise
C2formal, literary, religious/occult technical
Definition
Meaning
To force an evil spirit to leave a person, place, or thing, typically through a religious or magical ritual.
To rid oneself or something of a troubling, obsessive, or negative influence, idea, or feeling.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used in its literal religious sense or as a powerful figurative/metaphorical verb. The figurative sense often implies a deliberate, forceful, and complete removal.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant semantic difference. UK spelling is 'exorcise'; US spelling also 'exorcise' (the variant 'exorcize' is rare and not standard in modern American English for the verb).
Connotations
Identical. Both carry the primary supernatural connotation and the secondary psychological/metaphorical one.
Frequency
Equally low frequency in both varieties, primarily appearing in specific religious, literary, or journalistic contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
transitive: exorcise + NP (demon, ghost, memory)transitive with preposition 'from': exorcise + NP + from + NP (exorcise the demon from the house)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “to exorcise one's ghosts/demons (figurative: confront and overcome past trauma)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Figuratively: 'The new CEO aimed to exorcise the culture of fear from the company.'
Academic
Used in religious studies, anthropology, history, literary analysis. 'The ritual seeks to exorcise malevolent forces from the community.'
Everyday
Rare in casual conversation. Mostly figurative: 'He wrote the book to exorcise the memories of the war.'
Technical
Specific term in theology, demonology, paranormal investigation, and some psychotherapeutic contexts.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The vicar was called to exorcise the old rectory.
- She felt she needed to exorcise the guilt from her mind.
American English
- A specialist was hired to exorcise the haunted theater.
- The campaign sought to exorcise corruption from the political system.
adjective
British English
- The exorcism rite (related adjective from noun 'exorcism').
- An exorcist priest (related noun 'exorcist').
American English
- An exorcism ceremony was performed.
- He studied exorcist practices (related noun 'exorcist').
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The film is about a priest who tries to exorcise a demon.
- The ceremony was performed to exorcise the evil spirit believed to be causing the illness.
- He uses painting to exorcise his personal demons.
- The historian argued that the national ritual served to exorcise the collective trauma of the defeat.
- Legislation was passed in an attempt to exorcise the systemic biases from the institution.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'EXIT-ORC-ise' – making the evil creature (orc as a stand-in for demon) EXIT.
Conceptual Metaphor
NEGATIVE INFLUENCES ARE POSSESSING ENTITIES / REMOVING A PROBLEM IS CASTING OUT A SPIRIT.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'exercise' (упражнение, тренироваться).
- Russian 'изгонять' is a close equivalent for the core meaning.
- The figurative use maps well to 'изгнать' (изгнать страх, изгнать прошлое).
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'excorsise' or 'exorsize'.
- Confusing with 'exercise'.
- Using it for simple removal (e.g., 'exorcise a stain' is too strong/unnatural).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'exorcise' used MOST literally?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Exorcise' is the standard spelling in both British and American English for the verb. 'Exorcize' is an archaic/rare variant.
Yes, very commonly in a figurative sense. It is used to mean 'to get rid of something troubling' (e.g., a bad memory, a negative emotion, a harmful influence).
The noun is 'exorcism' (the act or ritual). A person who performs an exorcism is an 'exorcist'.
They are completely different words. 'Exorcise' means to drive out an evil spirit. 'Exercise' means physical activity or to use a power/right. They are pronounced slightly differently: the first syllable of 'exorcise' is /ˈɛk-/ while in 'exercise' it is /ˈɛk.sə-/.