sadism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In other hands, a film of such unadorned fatalism might seem useless, an exercise in emotional sadism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

The boys and men - whom Ms Barrett calls "crimefluencers" - subscribe to a variety of ideologies, including including nihilism, sadism, Nazism and satanism.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2025

But the sadism is accompanied by a trollish glee that reads far more like a 13-year-old boy's failed attempts at humor than what one would expect from a 53-year-old businessman and father of 12.

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2025

If the movie “X” could be described as “Boogie Nights” meets “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” then its prequel “Pearl” feels like watching Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” develop a penchant for sadism.

From Washington Post • Sep. 14, 2022

I see no vicious glee in her eyes, and not a hint of the sadism I expect.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth