Synonyms of sadistic

sadistic

adjective

sə-ˈdi-stik 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brutal
• cruel
• vicious
• savage
• ruthless
• murderous
• merciless
• heartless
• inhuman
• barbaric
• barbarous
• inhumane
• brute
• fiendish
• ferocious
• truculent
• oppressive
• atrocious
• hateful
• harsh
• malicious
• pitiless
• butcherly
• wanton
• bloodthirsty
• red in tooth and claw
• grim
• unfeeling
• malevolent
• vindictive
• spiteful
• malignant
• sanguinary
• fell
• hard-hearted
• cutthroat
• draconian
• malign
• sanguine
• nasty
• ironhearted
• catty
• mean
• despiteful
• stonyhearted
• draconic
• heavy-handed
• hardhanded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sympathetic
• benign
• kind
• humane
• compassionate
• warm
• kindhearted
• merciful
• charitable
• good-hearted
• benignant
• lenient
• tender
• tenderhearted
• pitying
• peaceful
• warmhearted
• peaceable
• pacific
• clement

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sadistic

Bryant then claims that Cunningham's stance on female sports is comparable to Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem or denouncing the Fourth of July as sadistic. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Whitehead…is at his ironic best, offering a portrait of a more innocent time when viewed from the sadistic chaos of today. — Literary Hub, 28 July 2026

The 76ers didn’t even desperately need him, which makes Myers waltzing into free agency and pulling off this casual heist even more delightfully sadistic. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 July 2026

He was executed for the sadistic death of his wife in front of her teenage son in 1992 in Orange County. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 24 July 2026