plural sadists
: one characterized by sadism : a person who takes pleasure in inflicting pain, punishment, or humiliation on others
a sexual sadist
He's a sadist and, where Toby is concerned, an unusually relentless one: he's in the boy's face constantly, prodding, belittling, taunting.—
Terrence Rafferty
Terrence RaffertyTo the penal colony, the cat-o'-nine-tails was a tool more basic than the hoe. On Norfolk Island, where the camp was commanded by a succession of sadists, there were other forms of torture as well …—Clive James
Clive JamesExamples of sadist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Only a sadist enjoys facing the ruthless Magic.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
That’s what makes the H-E-B Carolina Reaper Cheese Puffs so unique and so irresistible to spice sadists like myself.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Only a sociopath or a sadist could tell a lie of this magnitude, but again, such broad characters are par for the course in shows like this.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Pitted against the unforgettably evil Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), a sadist who drugs and abuses the unlucky patients in her care, McMurphy’s stand against the oppressive powers that be is tragic and poignant and spoke to the spirit of a time in which so many felt misunderstood.
—Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
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Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
That’s what makes the H-E-B Carolina Reaper Cheese Puffs so unique and so irresistible to spice sadists like myself.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Only a sociopath or a sadist could tell a lie of this magnitude, but again, such broad characters are par for the course in shows like this.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Pitted against the unforgettably evil Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), a sadist who drugs and abuses the unlucky patients in her care, McMurphy’s stand against the oppressive powers that be is tragic and poignant and spoke to the spirit of a time in which so many felt misunderstood.
—Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadist
Cite this Entry
“Sadist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadist. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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