as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
a troubled youth with a streak of sadism in him
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Recent Examples of sadism
Humor responds to a misfortune with sadism and schadenfreude.
—
Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
To be sure, the drive to appropriate was often bound up with sadism and love of domination.
—Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
That might sound sadistic; indeed, sadism is something of a Hitchcockian virtue.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadism
Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
To be sure, the drive to appropriate was often bound up with sadism and love of domination.
—Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
That might sound sadistic; indeed, sadism is something of a Hitchcockian virtue.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadism
Noun
-
The post-liberals stand for cruelty and inanity, but Brooks can’t admit to standing for much of anything at all.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In an era of near continuous cruelty by the administration, the imprisonment of the boy and his father attracted massive media and political attention and eventually saw both released on February 1.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
During the May 2020 George Floyd demonstration, protesters in downtown Los Angeles briefly shut down portions of the 101 Freeway after entering near Alameda Street, temporarily halting traffic to draw attention to the killing of Floyd and broader concerns about police brutality.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Mihankhah spent roughly 15 years trying to raise awareness about the brutalities of the Iranian government.—
Alexandria Burris,
IndyStar,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sadism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadism. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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