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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Recent Examples of sadistic
Kristi Noem, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, posed in front of a group of immigrants sent to a torture site in El Salvador, in a show of sadistic titillation.
—
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Without the help of his half-brother Oliver (Christian Convery) and Atom Eve, Mark would have surely been destroyed by the sadistic alien.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Weaving reprises Grace MacCaullay, the blushing bride who was forced to lay waste to her wealthy new in-laws during their sadistic rendition of hide-and-seek.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Our young hero Spike (Alfie Williams), having abandoned the secluded safety of his island home in the wake of his mother’s death, finds himself at the mercy of this merry band of bloodthirsty pranksters, shepherded by a sadistic Manson-esque leader, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell).
—Katie Walsh, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sadistic
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Without the help of his half-brother Oliver (Christian Convery) and Atom Eve, Mark would have surely been destroyed by the sadistic alien.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Weaving reprises Grace MacCaullay, the blushing bride who was forced to lay waste to her wealthy new in-laws during their sadistic rendition of hide-and-seek.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Our young hero Spike (Alfie Williams), having abandoned the secluded safety of his island home in the wake of his mother’s death, finds himself at the mercy of this merry band of bloodthirsty pranksters, shepherded by a sadistic Manson-esque leader, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell).
—Katie Walsh, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sadistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sadistic
Adjective
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Plus, the unknown impact AI will have on SaaS companies casts a brutal shadow over the sector, and the impact on Workday is significantly visible.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
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In an ecosystem squeezed by the brutal economics of streaming and the continuing struggles of the theatrical model, far too many worthy films go unsold and unseen.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Said quest forces her to reexamine a revelatory affair with an RAF pilot, and consider how their engagement’s cruel ending set her on the path to a different sort of fulfillment.—
Hayley Maitland,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
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Government should tame the savageness of man and make life in this world more gentle, not crueler.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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Everyone is fair game for her vicious tongue.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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On his second, Dominique pulled off a savage windmill, the same dunk that had earned a perfect score the year before and won him the title.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 10,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Meantime, outflows both from both software and crypto (an asset class most correlated with unprofitable tech stocks) grew excessive until the savage software/bitcoin selloff hit an extreme Thursday, when money came sloshing in to catch the falling knives.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Figure skating is ruthless that way.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss (Bening), Lucky must fight for her life — and a way out.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sadistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sadistic. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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