What does "sadism" mean?
The enjoyment of inflicting pain or humiliation without pity.
Sadism
/ˈseɪdɪzəm/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The enjoyment of inflicting pain or humiliation without pity.
- Grammar: sadism is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: active algolagnia, algolagnia, algolagny, amphierotism.
- Useful contrasts: compassion, empathy, gentleness.
- Usage evidence: You assume we are all sexually stable; while on the other hand, as I have become acquainted with people, I find that they are all perverted sinners, one way or another, that the whole society is corrupt and rotten and repressed and unconscious that it exhibits its repression in various forms of social sadism.
How to use "sadism"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sadism" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sadism" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sadism" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The enjoyment of inflicting pain or humiliation without pity. countable, uncountable
- 2 sexual pleasure obtained by inflicting harm (physical or psychological) on others wordnet
- 3 Achievement of sexual gratification by inflicting pain or humiliation on others, or watching pain or humiliation inflicted on others. countable, uncountable
- 4 Deliberate or wanton cruelty, either mental or physical, to other people, or to animals, regardless of whether for (sexual) gratification. broadly, countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"You assume we are all sexually stable; while on the other hand, as I have become acquainted with people, I find that they are all perverted sinners, one way or another, that the whole society is corrupt and rotten and repressed and unconscious that it exhibits its repression in various forms of social sadism."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sadism"?
Common synonyms include: active algolagnia, algolagnia, algolagny, amphierotism, animality, atrociousness.
How do you use "sadism" in a sentence?
You assume we are all sexually stable; while on the other hand, as I have become acquainted with people, I find that they are all perverted sinners, one way or another, that the whole society is corrupt and rotten and repressed and unconscious that it exhibits its repression in various forms of social sadism.
How do you pronounce "sadism"?
Pronounced /ˈseɪdɪzəm/.
Etymology
From French sadisme and German Sadismus. Named after the Marquis de Sade, famed for his libertine writings depicting the pleasure of inflicting pain to others. The word for "sadism" (sadisme) was coined or acknowledged in the 1834 posthumous reprint of French lexicographer Boiste's Dictionnaire universel de la langue française; it is reused along with "sadist" (sadique) in 1862 by French critic Sainte-Beuve in his commentary of Flaubert's novel Salammbô; it is reused (possibly independently) in 1886 by Austrian psychiatrist Krafft-Ebing in Psychopathia Sexualis which popularized it; it is directly reused in 1905 by Freud in Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality which definitively established the word.