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
Synonyms
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
Progressives may be soft on crime, but the Biden-Garland Justice Department proved willing to be tough, even sadistic, on pro-lifers.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025
Related article Pope expels a bishop and 9 other people from a Peru movement over ‘sadistic’ abuses
But the victims have waited years for church authorities to act, with victims lodging complaints with the Archdiocese of Lima in 2011 and reportedly even earlier.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025
The actor, who tends to embody movie monsters, is up against a sadistic Anthony Hopkins in the thriller, which hits theaters on March 21.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
In Season 2, Gi-hun, aka Player 456 (played by Lee Jung-jae), returns to the sadistic competition three years after winning 45.6 billion in South Korean won as the sole survivor of the event, in order to now put an end to Squid Game and save the lives of the players around him.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sadistic 
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.
The Editors, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025
Related article Pope expels a bishop and 9 other people from a Peru movement over ‘sadistic’ abuses
But the victims have waited years for church authorities to act, with victims lodging complaints with the Archdiocese of Lima in 2011 and reportedly even earlier.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025
The actor, who tends to embody movie monsters, is up against a sadistic Anthony Hopkins in the thriller, which hits theaters on March 21.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
In Season 2, Gi-hun, aka Player 456 (played by Lee Jung-jae), returns to the sadistic competition three years after winning 45.6 billion in South Korean won as the sole survivor of the event, in order to now put an end to Squid Game and save the lives of the players around him.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sadistic
Dictionary Entries Near sadistic
Cite this Entry
“Sadistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sadistic. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share