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 Rule of Jenny Pen stars Lithgow as Dave Crealy, a seemingly gentle man who secretly terrorizes the residents with a sadistic game involving the titular dementia doll.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Galloway Township detectives busted up the sadistic operation after uncovering online invitations to a March 2024 event, scheduled to take place at a private residence with an arena built specifically to host rooster fights, authorities said.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
The film's brash, documentary-style production perfectly captured Hackman's character, a seething, sadistic NYC cop seeking to bust a ring of heroin smugglers — like Ahab on the hunt for the white whale.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025
Alongside Marvel movie veterans Wesley Snipes as Blade and Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Tatum plays Gambit as a hero hiding in The Void, waiting for his chance to strike at the sadistic Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
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Simon Thompson, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Galloway Township detectives busted up the sadistic operation after uncovering online invitations to a March 2024 event, scheduled to take place at a private residence with an arena built specifically to host rooster fights, authorities said.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
The film's brash, documentary-style production perfectly captured Hackman's character, a seething, sadistic NYC cop seeking to bust a ring of heroin smugglers — like Ahab on the hunt for the white whale.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2025
Alongside Marvel movie veterans Wesley Snipes as Blade and Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Tatum plays Gambit as a hero hiding in The Void, waiting for his chance to strike at the sadistic Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 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 Mar. 2025.
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