sadistic
adjective
sa·dis·tic
sə-ˈdi-stik 
also sā-,
or sa-
: of, relating to, or characterized by sadism
sadistic fantasies
: taking pleasure in the infliction of pain, punishment, or humiliation on others
a leg … sawed off in sections by a sadistic surgeon—
The New Yorker
The New YorkerFor my 41st birthday, an especially sadistic buddy gave me a video of me falling off my skateboard nearly 160 times.—Bret Anthony Johnston
Bret Anthony Johnston
sadistically
adverb
… in a gangster story realism requires that the hoods kill each other off and do so sadistically.
—Robert F. Moss
Robert F. Moss
Examples of sadistic in a Sentence
the troubled youth is being treated by a psychotherapist for his sadistic urges to hurt animals
Recent Examples on the Web
The sadistic Lang, however, basks in such evil and partakes of it a little, too.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 May 2025
Jopling is a hitman with skull rings and a sadistic streak who does all sorts of dirty work, including engaging in some light decapitation and throwing a cat out the window before meeting an amusing end off a snowy cliff.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025
In the official trailer for the new season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, there’s more talk about serial killers, sadistic psychopaths, and Elias Voit — the notorious Sicarius Killer played by the enthusiastic Zach Gilford.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Chroniclers and foreign travelers left accounts of the sadistic tortures and mass executions that were conducted with Ivan’s participation.
—Dina Khapaeva, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
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Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 May 2025
Jopling is a hitman with skull rings and a sadistic streak who does all sorts of dirty work, including engaging in some light decapitation and throwing a cat out the window before meeting an amusing end off a snowy cliff.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025
In the official trailer for the new season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, there’s more talk about serial killers, sadistic psychopaths, and Elias Voit — the notorious Sicarius Killer played by the enthusiastic Zach Gilford.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
Chroniclers and foreign travelers left accounts of the sadistic tortures and mass executions that were conducted with Ivan’s participation.
—Dina Khapaeva, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadistic
Cite this Entry
“Sadistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadistic. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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