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sadistic

 - 6 dictionary results

sa⋅dism

  [sey-diz-uhm, sad-iz-]
Use sadistic in a Sentence
–noun
1. Psychiatry. sexual gratification gained through causing pain or degradation to others. Compare masochism.
2. any enjoyment in being cruel.
3. extreme cruelty.
Origin:
1885–90; < F sadisme; see Sade, -ism

Related forms:
sadist, noun, adjective
sa⋅dis⋅tic  [suh-dis-tik, sey-, sa-] , adjective
sa⋅dis⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sa·dism   (sā'dĭz'əm, sād'ĭz'-)   
n.  

  1. The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others.

  2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty.

  3. Extreme cruelty.


[After Comte Donatien Alphonse François de Sade.]
sa'dist n., sa·dis'tic (sə-dĭs'tĭk) adj., sa·dis'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

sadism [(say-diz-uhm, sad-iz-uhm)]

Abnormal behavior characterized by deriving sexual gratification from inflicting pain on others. More loosely, sadism refers to deriving any pleasure from inflicting pain. Named after the Marquis de Sade, a French author of the eighteenth century, whose works describe many sexual perversities.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

sadism 
"love of cruelty," 1888, from Fr. sadisme, from Count Donatien A.F. de Sade (1740-1815). Not a marquis, though usually now called one, he was notorious for the cruel sexual practices he described in his novels. Sadist first recorded 1897; sadistic is 1892, after Ger. sadistisch. Compound Sado-masochism first recorded 1935 (see masochist). Abbreviation S & M first attested 1965.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sa·dism
Pronunciation: 'sA-"diz-&m, 'sad-"iz-
Function: noun
: a sexual perversion in which gratification is obtained by theinfliction of physical or mental pain on others (as on a love object) —compare ALGOLAGNIA, MASOCHISM —sa·dis·tic /s&-'dis-tik also sA- or sa-/ adjective —sa·dis·ti·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb
Sade /sod,/ Marquis de (ComteDonatien–Alphonse–François) (1740–1814), French soldier and writer. From the time that he was a young nobleman Sade consorted with prostitutes and developed a tastefor sexual perversions. He was imprisoned on several occasions for his harsh abuse of prostitutes and gross licentiousness. After arriving at the Bastille in 1784 he began writing erotic novels inwhich he gave full expression to his sexual fantasies. His most famous novel was The Adversities of Virtue (1787). His works are known for their graphic descriptions of sexual perversions. Hislast years were spent in an insane asylum at Charenton, where he wrote plays for his fellow inmates to perform. His compulsion for physically and sexually abusing others gave rise to the concept ofsadism.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

sadism sa·dism (sā'dĭz'əm, sād'ĭz'-)
n.

  1. The act or an instance of deriving sexual gratification from infliction of pain on others.

  2. A psychological disorder in which sexual gratification is derived from infliction of pain on others.

sa'dist n.
sa·dis'tic (sə-dĭs'tĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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