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
To understand why Germans at different levels of society backed Hitler, scholars often cite people’s deep commitment to Nazi ideology; the hatred of Jews, homosexuals, Romani, or Communists; or sheer psychopathic sadism.
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Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
Meanwhile, Bill Moseley enters the franchise as Chop-Top, a new family member who was apparently in Vietnam during the events of the first film and has returned with a metal plate in his head and a penchant for grating sadism.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety But Art the Clown takes the concept of enjoying homicidal sadism to new levels of sick-puppy insanity.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
That’s a victory made all the more triumphant by the film’s moderately budget (it’s estimated around $3.5 million) and an ambitious commitment to pulling off some all-time theatrical sadism.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sadism
Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
Meanwhile, Bill Moseley enters the franchise as Chop-Top, a new family member who was apparently in Vietnam during the events of the first film and has returned with a metal plate in his head and a penchant for grating sadism.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
Popular on Variety But Art the Clown takes the concept of enjoying homicidal sadism to new levels of sick-puppy insanity.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
That’s a victory made all the more triumphant by the film’s moderately budget (it’s estimated around $3.5 million) and an ambitious commitment to pulling off some all-time theatrical sadism.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sadism
Cite this Entry
“Sadism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadism. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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