masochism

noun

mas·och·ism ˈma-sə-ˌki-zəm

ˈma-zə-

also ˈmā-

: the derivation of sexual gratification from being subjected to physical pain or humiliation by oneself or another person compare sadism, sadomasochism

: pleasure in being abused or dominated : a taste for suffering

Did you know?

What is the Difference Between the Words masochism & sadism?

Masochism and sadism are both about the enjoyment of pain. Masochism refers to the enjoyment of experiencing pain while sadism refers to the enjoyment of inflicting pain on someone else.

Interestingly, both masochism and sadism are eponymous words. English has thousands of such words, taken from the names of people both real and fictional. Masochism comes from the name of the 19th century German novelist, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. It is unusual in that it began to be used during the lifetime of the man from whom it originated (Sacher-Masoch died in 1895, and masochism had been in printed use since 1892). Sadism comes from the name of the French writer, the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814).

The two words are not only often encountered in connection with one another, they have been combined into a single word, sadomasochism.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web And to be fair, there’s mild masochism involved in our enjoyment of any carbonated drinks: Those bubbles trigger the same pain receptors as spicy foods. —

M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2022 What form mortification should take, though, wasn’t clear, and the attempt to free the self of all its needs except the need for God can today look like masochism or mayhem. —

Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2023 Hunting for fossils in the most inaccessible and inhospitable continent on the planet, where over 99 percent of the ground is covered in solid ice, seems like a tall order, verging on an exercise in masochism. —

Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 11 May 2016 Since the beginning of 2022, aesthetics associated with BDSM — a set of erotic practices that include bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism — have entered the mainstream fashion landscape. —

Frances Solá-santiago, refinery29.com, 2 May 2022 To anyone who’s lost precious hours of their own days to doomscrolling, this might sound like an exercise in digital masochism. —

Mikey O'connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 June 2022 Since the beginning of 2022, aesthetics associated with BDSM — a set of erotic practices that include bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism — have entered the mainstream fashion landscape. —

Frances Solá-santiago, refinery29.com, 2 May 2022 Since the beginning of 2022, aesthetics associated with BDSM — a set of erotic practices that include bondage, domination, sadism, and masochism — have entered the mainstream fashion landscape. —

Frances Solá-santiago, refinery29.com, 2 May 2022 Newsweek has reported about a cluster of monkeypox cases arising from a recent conference in Chicago known as International Mr. Leather for fans of bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism, or BDSM. —

Helena Oliviero, ajc, 17 June 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'masochism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Masochismus, from Leopold von Sacher-Masoch †1895 Austrian fiction writer and journalist + -ismus -ism

Note: The German noun was coined by Richard von krafft-ebing, probably first in Neue Forschungen auf dem Gebiet der Psychopathia sexualis (Stuttgart, 1890), p. 1 ff. Krafft-Ebing describes the coinage as follows: "Diese im folgenden zu besprechenden Perversionen der Vita sexualis mögen Masochismus genannt werden, da der bekannte Romanschriftsteller Sacher Masoch in zahlreichen seiner Romanen, ganz besonders in seiner bekannten "Die Venus im Pelz", diese eigene Art der sexuellen Perversion zum Lieblingsgegenstand seiner Schriften gemacht hat." ("The perversions of sexual life to be discussed in what follows may be named masochism, as the well-known novelist Sacher Masoch has made this particular type of sexual perversion a favorite object of his writing in a number of his novels, especially in his well-known Venus in Fur.") The same passage appears in the article "Ueber Masochismus," in the Wiener Medizinische Blätter, No. 52 (December 25, 1890), p. 817.

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of masochism was in 1892

See more words from the same year