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
And so our hero crosses paths with his future patron and personal tormentor Harrison Lee Van Buren, who would be a monstrous caricature of capitalism’s worst perversities if not for the softness that Guy Pearce so gingerly laces into his sadism.
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David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
Of course, California State University, where websites at campuses like Northridge and San Francisco, among others, sometimes carry similar messages — starting long before the Hamas sadism of last Oct. 7 — has no such policy.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2024
Stray Observations: Ashley’s descent into unhinged sadism has been a riot to watch.
—Alex Raiman, EW.com, 4 July 2024
But in a final act of sadism, Blood and Cheese instead chose to taunt Maelor with his mother's decision before chopping off Jaehaerys' head.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for sadism 
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
Of course, California State University, where websites at campuses like Northridge and San Francisco, among others, sometimes carry similar messages — starting long before the Hamas sadism of last Oct. 7 — has no such policy.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2024
Stray Observations: Ashley’s descent into unhinged sadism has been a riot to watch.
—Alex Raiman, EW.com, 4 July 2024
But in a final act of sadism, Blood and Cheese instead chose to taunt Maelor with his mother's decision before chopping off Jaehaerys' head.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for sadism
Thesaurus Entries Near sadism
Cite this Entry
“Sadism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadism. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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