sadistic
adjective
sa·dis·tic
sə-ˈdi-stik 
also sā-
or sa-
: of, relating to, or characterized by sadism
sadistic fantasies
: taking pleasure in the infliction of pain, punishment, or humiliation on others
… a leg … sawed off in sections by a sadistic surgeon …—
The New Yorker
The New YorkerFor my 41st birthday, an especially sadistic buddy gave me a video of me falling off my skateboard nearly 160 times.—Bret Anthony Johnston
Bret Anthony Johnston
sadistically
adverb
… in a gangster story realism requires that the hoods kill each other off and do so sadistically.
—Robert F. Moss
Robert F. Moss
Examples of sadistic in a Sentence
the troubled youth is being treated by a psychotherapist for his sadistic urges to hurt animals
Recent Examples on the Web
The group protested against the controversial Robert Mapplethorpe photography exhibit in Cincinnati, which included some nude photos of children and gay sadistic and masochistic culture.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Dec. 2025
Every other tale can be sadistic or not, and in a more Jungian way.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
Everett Blunck, also tremendous in this year’s Griffin in Summer, stars as Ben, a 12-year-old boy who encounters sadistic hazing at an all-boys water-polo camp.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Also bent on finding the stone are sadistic rebel commander Captain Poison (David Harewood, oozing evil) and the coolly calculating Colonel (Arnold Vosloo), Danny’s one-time mentor as a soldier-for-hire.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025
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Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Dec. 2025
Every other tale can be sadistic or not, and in a more Jungian way.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
Everett Blunck, also tremendous in this year’s Griffin in Summer, stars as Ben, a 12-year-old boy who encounters sadistic hazing at an all-boys water-polo camp.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Also bent on finding the stone are sadistic rebel commander Captain Poison (David Harewood, oozing evil) and the coolly calculating Colonel (Arnold Vosloo), Danny’s one-time mentor as a soldier-for-hire.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadistic
Cite this Entry
“Sadistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadistic. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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