masochism

noun

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mas·och·ism | \ ˈma-sə-ˌki-zəm

, ˈma-zə-

also ˈmā- \

Definition of masochism

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

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

What is the Difference Between the Words masochism & sadism? Example Sentences Learn More About masochism

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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.

Examples of masochism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the lives of her heroines, the mourning sometimes took the form of masochism. — Caleb Crain, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2021 Allowing games like Sea of Solitude to help those struggling to gain control within their limits, take the initiative, self-evaluate, gain higher morals and step away from those who live their life in masochism towards you and others. — Zane Pickett, Forbes, 13 May 2021 One psychiatrist declares Holiday a psychopath; others attribute her beatings by assorted men to masochism. — New York Times, 18 Feb. 2021 Will Knowland would be an act of institutional masochism the likes of which Eton has not seen in its recent history. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, 4 Dec. 2020 For a man whose difficult upbringing only enhanced his seemingly lifelong drive toward masochism and self-mythologizing, the most repulsive thing about his design years might have been their mediocrity. — Sophie Madeline Dess, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2021 OnlyFans fetish models at warehouse techno parties and private clubs for bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism, or BDSM, across downtown and Hollywood. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2021 Or masochism: the harder the cause, the nobler the pain. — Corey Robin, The New Yorker, 12 Nov. 2020 The result can be read in many ways: a depiction of the failure to grow up and embrace adult sexuality; a study in masochism; a journey toward romantic oblivion. — Ian Bostridge, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2020

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.

History and Etymology for masochism

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.

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