What does "sadomasochism" mean?

The practices of sadism and masochism collectively, usually in reference to consensual practices within the BDSM community.

How do you pronounce "sadomasochism"?

Pronounced //seɪdəʊˈmæsəkɪzəm//.

Common synonyms include: algolagnia, active algolagnia, algolagnia, algolagny, amphierotism, autoeroticism.

//seɪdəʊˈmæsəkɪzəm// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The practices of sadism and masochism collectively, usually in reference to consensual practices within the BDSM community. uncountable, usually
2
sadism and masochism combined in one person wordnet
3
Sadism and masochism: the (often sexual) enjoyment by one person of both inflicting and receiving pain. uncountable, usually

From sado- + masochism.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.