sadism
noun/ˈseɪdɪzəm/
/ˈseɪdɪzəm/
[uncountable]- pleasure from watching or making somebody suffer
- There's a streak of sadism in his nature.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- a need to hurt somebody in order to get sexual pleasure compare masochism
Word Originlate 19th cent.: from French sadisme, from the name of the Marquis de Sade (1710-1814), the French writer and soldier.
Check pronunciation:
sadism