sadism
sadism Lexical Profile
sadism Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Deliberate, callous cruelty or enjoyment taken in causing distress or hardship to others in everyday life.
"The students joked that scheduling a three-hour exam on a Friday afternoon was an act of pure sadism."
The tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.
"The psychiatric evaluation examined the offender's history of extreme cruelty and clinical sadism."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Sadism' (taking pleasure in inflicting pain on others) is the direct opposite of 'masochism' (taking pleasure in receiving pain or humiliation oneself); when both tendencies occur together, the term 'sadomasochism' is used.
• Rhymes for sadism
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 19th century from French 'sadisme', named after the Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), a French aristocrat and writer whose works prominently depicted cruelty and sexual violence.