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
But for Rawson, her father’s secret double life — a religious family man in public and a sadistic serial killer in private — has haunted her since the police’s discovery.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Having spent his entire life in the shadow of Cody (Brandon Tyler Moore), the far more athletic twin brother primed for combat by their sadistic dad, John (Blake Burt) cuts a far more sympathetic figure.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2025
Shadow Ticket depicts the path to Gravity’s Rainbow’s phantasmagoria of World War II horrors, and none of the book’s characters is confused about the sadistic direction things are heading.
—Jack Denton, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Fans will be familiar with the sadistic obstacles in Cube, which have the same energy as Borderland’s games.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sadistic
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Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Having spent his entire life in the shadow of Cody (Brandon Tyler Moore), the far more athletic twin brother primed for combat by their sadistic dad, John (Blake Burt) cuts a far more sympathetic figure.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2025
Shadow Ticket depicts the path to Gravity’s Rainbow’s phantasmagoria of World War II horrors, and none of the book’s characters is confused about the sadistic direction things are heading.
—Jack Denton, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Fans will be familiar with the sadistic obstacles in Cube, which have the same energy as Borderland’s games.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 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 17 Oct. 2025.
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