SADISTIC Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

sadistic

adjective

sə-ˈdi-stik

Definition of sadistic

as in brutal

having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others the troubled youth is being treated by a psychotherapist for his sadistic urges to hurt animals

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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 sadistic That quickly comes in handy when Clancy, a sadistic guard, tells the inmates they’re being shipped to the infamous sanitarium Saint Mabyn’s. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026 Mungiu may have a less sadistic streak and a more active camera, but the two filmmakers share a particular commitment to narrative indeterminacy, devising intricate yet incomplete crime-story plots that function broadly as sociopolitical allegories. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026 Documentarian Erin Lee Carr’s latest project is a deep dive into The Swan, the 2004 reality show widely considered one of the most unethical and sadistic in TV history. — Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 Many of them, including Ned and his childhood friend and rival, Roland, are scarred by their time as youth players, haunted by memories of the sadistic coaches and cruel, competitive fathers who terrorized them both on and off the court. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sadistic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadistic

Adjective

This version, though, is brutal, his voice acerbic and his guitar serrated.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2026
And through eight games this season, those two words have defined the majority of the third-year wing’s experience on the court for the Chicago Bulls, who are 1-7 after a brutal trio of road losses in the last week.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

People talking to an AI in an abusive and cruel way are more likely to be associated with trying to get the AI model to engage in dangerous requests, like trying to get around an AI’s safety guardrails, Campbell added.

— Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

For the moment, Trump’s vicious bigotry has alienated most independent voters and even some Republicans.

— David Yassky, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Outside observers described his vicious consolidation of power as an attempt to compensate for his youth, his limited political experience, and his complete lack of a military background.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Reducing Gulliver’s Travels to only a topsy-turvy tale of humans both tiny and massive is to ignore the savage intellect that penned its words.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
In ancient, supposedly more savage times, public killings were common.

— Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of savage

Browse Nearby Words

sadism

sadistic

sadly

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“Sadistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadistic. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of sadistic

adjective

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