Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Deriving pleasure or sexual gratification from inflicting pain on another: The word describes a person who enjoys causing physical or psychological suffering to others. This enjoyment is a key characteristic of the personality or behavior.

Usage

• The adjective "sadistic" is used to describe a person, their behavior, their actions, or their tendencies. It carries a strong negative connotation.
• It can be used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "is" or "seems").

Examples

• Attributive use (before a noun):
  • The villain in the story was a sadistic torturer.
  • He was accused of sadistic behavior towards his subordinates.
• Predicative use (after a linking verb):
  • The bully's laughter seemed genuinely sadistic.
  • Taking pleasure in others' misfortune is sadistic.

Advanced Usage

• "sadistic pleasure/satisfaction": A common collocation emphasizing the type of pleasure derived.
  • He took sadistic pleasure in humiliating his rivals.
• "sadistic streak/tendency": Used to indicate a particular aspect of someone's character.
  • The strict teacher was known to have a sadistic streak.

Variants and Related Words

• Sadism (noun): The practice of deriving pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain or humiliation on others. This is the source noun for the adjective.
  • His actions were an act of pure sadism.
• Sadist (noun): A person who derives pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain or humiliation on others.
  • The prison guard was a cruel sadist.

Synonyms

• Cruel: Willfully causing pain or suffering to others.
• Brutal: Savagely violent, often implying a lack of mercy.
• Vicious: Deliberately cruel or violent.
• Masochistic (Antonym/Related): Deriving pleasure from one's own pain or humiliation. (Note: This is often paired with "sadistic" in the compound term "sadomasochistic").

Notes on Meaning

• The term originates from the name of the French writer Marquis de Sade, who wrote novels depicting such pleasures.
• In psychology and psychiatry, sadism can refer to a personality disorder when such behavior is pervasive.
• The word is often used in a non-clinical, figurative sense to describe anyone who seems to enjoy being cruel.

Adjective

1. deriving pleasure or sexual gratification from inflicting pain on another