sadistic
adjective
sa·dis·tic
sə-ˈdi-stik 
also sā-,
or sa-
: of, relating to, or characterized by sadism
sadistic fantasies
: taking pleasure in the infliction of pain, punishment, or humiliation on others
a leg … sawed off in sections by a sadistic surgeon—
The New Yorker
The New YorkerFor my 41st birthday, an especially sadistic buddy gave me a video of me falling off my skateboard nearly 160 times.—Bret Anthony Johnston
Bret Anthony Johnston
sadistically
adverb
… in a gangster story realism requires that the hoods kill each other off and do so sadistically.
—Robert F. Moss
Robert F. Moss
Examples of sadistic in a Sentence
the troubled youth is being treated by a psychotherapist for his sadistic urges to hurt animals
Recent Examples on the Web
In the official trailer for the new season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, there’s more talk about serial killers, sadistic psychopaths, and Elias Voit — the notorious Sicarius Killer played by the enthusiastic Zach Gilford.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Chroniclers and foreign travelers left accounts of the sadistic tortures and mass executions that were conducted with Ivan’s participation.
—Dina Khapaeva, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
He’s sent on a rendezvous with the Coyotes as punishment, and that’s where Stabler comes face-to-face with Andre, the biker gang’s sadistic leader.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Apr. 2025
Four women ultimately came forward and exposed Brightman’s sadistic scheme that prosecutors said lasted from around January 2022 through late 2023, shortly before his arrest by the feds.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadistic
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Lynette Rice, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Chroniclers and foreign travelers left accounts of the sadistic tortures and mass executions that were conducted with Ivan’s participation.
—Dina Khapaeva, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
He’s sent on a rendezvous with the Coyotes as punishment, and that’s where Stabler comes face-to-face with Andre, the biker gang’s sadistic leader.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Apr. 2025
Four women ultimately came forward and exposed Brightman’s sadistic scheme that prosecutors said lasted from around January 2022 through late 2023, shortly before his arrest by the feds.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadistic
Cite this Entry
“Sadistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadistic. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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