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
The sadistic and trigger-happy Mr. Blonde was one of the 400 nominees for the American Film Institute's list of the all-time greatest movie villains.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 3 July 2025
His breakout role came in 1992, playing sadistic bank robber Mr. Blonde in Tarantino’s debut film Reservoir Dogs.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 3 July 2025
In a parallel universe version of Tokyo, a band of young people are forced to compete in sadistic games modeled on the suites in a deck of cards.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 27 June 2025
In Mary Harron’s 2000 adaptation of the novel about the sadistic (and at times uncomfortably funny) serial killer Patrick Bateman (Bale), Sevigny played his secretary Jean, who gets spared from his bloodthirst.
—Kerensa Cadenas, IndieWire, 2 May 2025
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Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 3 July 2025
His breakout role came in 1992, playing sadistic bank robber Mr. Blonde in Tarantino’s debut film Reservoir Dogs.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 3 July 2025
In a parallel universe version of Tokyo, a band of young people are forced to compete in sadistic games modeled on the suites in a deck of cards.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 27 June 2025
In Mary Harron’s 2000 adaptation of the novel about the sadistic (and at times uncomfortably funny) serial killer Patrick Bateman (Bale), Sevigny played his secretary Jean, who gets spared from his bloodthirst.
—Kerensa Cadenas, IndieWire, 2 May 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 20 Jul. 2025.
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