SADISTIC Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

sadistic

adjective

sə-ˈdi-stik

Definition of sadistic

as in brutal

having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others the troubled youth is being treated by a psychotherapist for his sadistic urges to hurt animals

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sadistic But his voice tyrannically resounds with sadistic orders and conservative cultural commentary during the second-act flashback scene, in which a fateful day on the set of the show changes the lives of Ronika and Blair. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026 Dungeon Crawler Carl is set after an alien invasion has wiped out most of humanity and any survivors are forced to fight for their lives on a sadistic intergalactic game show. — Peter White, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026 Bradshaw raised the ambiguity of the film’s central letter, in which Elisabet leaves an envelope open for Alma to read, and asked whether Bergman was showing a darker, more sadistic side of his heroine. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026 Bryant then claims that Cunningham's stance on female sports is comparable to Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem or denouncing the Fourth of July as sadistic. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sadistic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadistic

Adjective

Now in his 25th year on television, Chuck has built a beloved media career through brutal honesty.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Although the decrease in shot volume wasn’t quite as dramatic, Giddey went 1-for-10 from the field and scored only two points in Wednesday’s brutal beatdown by the Raptors.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

Participants fell into their roles a little too well and, after a prisoner rebellion, increasingly cruel forms of punishment from the guards and a number of students suffering mental breakdowns, the experiment was ended on the sixth day.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
But these townswomen — whether the undersexed Bakerwoman (Ella Bruccoleri ) or the prim, cruel busybody the Tailor’s Wife (a deliciously scheming Elizabeth Debicki) — are deeply unhappy with their own lot in life.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

The vicious cycle of the current model, of course, is that to become marketable a team needs to get and retain good players, and to do that a school has to spend money, which cycles the whole thing back to the start.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Governments were expected to rescue struggling banks, which held large amounts of sovereign debt, creating a vicious cycle.

— Jenni Reid,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Today, it is widely known that coal miners of the 19th and early 20th centuries experienced ruthless exploitation and hazardous working conditions.

— Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
Involuntary bumping is more ruthless, denying boarding to passengers in a joyless game of musical plane seats.

— Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruthless

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sadism

sadistic

sadly

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“Sadistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadistic. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sadistic

adjective

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