as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
a troubled youth with a streak of sadism in him
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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.
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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
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
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The film instead offers an intimate, unhurried exploration of human cruelty.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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Politically, both parties are trading blame—Republicans citing fiscal law, Democrats accusing the administration of cruelty—while the court’s decision could set a lasting precedent for how federal agencies manage safety-net programs during funding lapses.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With much of the world horrified by the USSR’s brutality, Eisenhower was furious that the British-French-Israeli offensive was both diverting international attention and handing Moscow a PR victory by enabling it to speak about Western aggression in the Middle East.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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The 1986 film also included accounts by former conscripts who had been forced to participate in the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, making clear the hopelessness and brutality of the war, starkly contrasting with the Kremlin’s version of a war of progress and purpose.—
Will Tizard,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sadism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadism. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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