Definition of sadism noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary



    BrE BrE//ˈseɪdɪzəm//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˈseɪdɪzəm//
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  1. 1enjoyment from watching or making somebody suffer There's a streak of sadism in his nature.
  2. 2a need to hurt somebody in order to get sexual pleasure compare masochism
  3. Word Origin late 19th cent.: from French sadisme, from the name of the Marquis de Sade (1710-1814), the French writer and soldier.
See the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary entry: sadism