Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sadism Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind. Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025 That might sound sadistic; indeed, sadism is something of a Hitchcockian virtue. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025 Making the loser give an address after a Grand Slam final defeat is another aspect of tennis’s unrivalled sadism. Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 12 July 2025 The book’s a meld of true crime, memoir and social commentary, but with a mission: to shock readers into a deeper understanding of the American Nightmare, ecological devastation entwined with senseless sadism. Hamilton Cain, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for sadism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadism
Noun
  • Also on Sunday, Jacqueline’s aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, 28, was arrested and charged with intentional cruelty to a child under the age of 19, risk of injury to a child and first-degree unlawful restraint.
    KC Baker, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Other scary asylum stories highlighted a fear of institutional cruelty — of authority figures with total power over vulnerable patients.
    Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The sight of Musk swinging a chainsaw onstage at a conservative conference captured the pell-mell approach, not to mention the brutality, of the billionaire’s plan to bring the federal government to heel.
    Andy Kroll, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
  • And as civil rights protesters proved decades ago, a righteous, peaceful protest that is met with brutality can unmute even a silent majority.
    Nancy Gibbs, Time, 17 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sadism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadism. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on sadism

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!