as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
a troubled youth with a streak of sadism in him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sadism
The series begins before Gein has ever killed, in 1945, as dawning awareness of death camps in Europe fills the air with sadism and conspiracy thinking.
—
Daniel D'addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
The invading parasite is a culture of hate and paranoia and sadism — mass hysteria as sanctioned by the government that is supposed to protect you.
—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Humor responds to a misfortune with sadism and schadenfreude.
—
Big Think,
23 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
Daniel D'addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
The invading parasite is a culture of hate and paranoia and sadism — mass hysteria as sanctioned by the government that is supposed to protect you.
—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Humor responds to a misfortune with sadism and schadenfreude.
—
Big Think,
23 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
-
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a judge released Cruz on his own recognizance June 4 following his arraignment on felony animal cruelty charges in Sacramento Superior Court.
-
At one point, the narrator, embarrassed by his own act of cruelty, gives a sobbing woman all his money and then leaves her alone in a hotel room.
Noun
-
But it’s lost on these boys, whose youth has been ground away by the drug trade’s meaningless brutality.
-
There is a weird intimacy to hand-to-hand combat and the brutality of it.
Cite this Entry
“Sadism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadism. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
