sadist

noun

sa·​dist ˈsā-dist  ˈsa- 

plural sadists

: one characterized by sadism : a person who takes pleasure in inflicting pain, punishment, or humiliation on others

a sexual sadist

He's a sadist and, where Toby is concerned, an unusually relentless one: he's in the boy's face constantly, prodding, belittling, taunting.

—Terrence Rafferty

To the penal colony, the cat-o'-nine-tails was a tool more basic than the hoe. On Norfolk Island, where the camp was commanded by a succession of sadists, there were other forms of torture as well …

—Clive James

Examples of sadist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those remains bore the marks of a skilled woodsman and ritual sadist. — Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026

Even Alice Winn’s Preshute is not safe from bullies and sadists. — Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026

This is a sadist who is surprisingly committed to consent. — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026

Stephens never plays a mustache-twirling sadist, instead carrying himself with the unbearable confidence of a man truly convinced that his version of abuse and even murder is civilized. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

sadist

noun

sa·​dist

ˈsād-əst, 

ˈsad-

: an individual who practices sadism

Medical Definition

sadist

noun

sa·​dist ˈsād-əst  ˈsad- 

: an individual who practices sadism