Sadist
/ˈseɪ.dɪst/noun
A person who derives pleasure, especially sexual pleasure, from inflicting pain, humiliation, or suffering on others.
Did you know?“Sadist” comes from the Marquis de Sade, whose name became the foundation of the psychological term because his novels portrayed sexual violence and cruelty in extreme detail.
Etymological Timeline
1740–1814
French
Donatien Alphonse François de Sade
“The French aristocrat and writer later known as the Marquis de Sade”
Late 18th Century
French
Sade
“The family name that became associated with writings depicting extreme cruelty and sexual violence”
1810s
French
sadisme
“A term modeled on de Sade’s name for the practice or tendency of deriving pleasure from cruelty”
1830s
French
sadiste
“A person characterized by sadism”
Late 19th Century
English
sadist
“A person who takes pleasure in inflicting pain or suffering”
Modern English
English
sadist
“A person who derives pleasure from causing pain, humiliation, or suffering”