Sadistic
/səˈdɪstɪk/noun
Deriving pleasure from, or showing a desire to inflict, physical or psychological suffering.
Did you know?The term was coined from the name of the Marquis de Sade, an 18th-century French writer whose works portrayed extreme sexual cruelty and violence.
Etymological Timeline
1740–1814
French
de Sade
“The surname of Donatien-Alphonse-François, Marquis de Sade, later used as the source of a psychological and sexual term.”
Late 18th Century
French
Marquis de Sade
“The aristocratic author whose fictional depictions of cruelty and sexual violence became historically notorious.”
1886
German
Sadismus
“A term introduced by psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing for deriving sexual pleasure from cruelty or inflicting pain.”
Late 19th Century
French
sadisme
“The French form of the newly established psychiatric term, derived from the name de Sade.”
1888
English
sadistic
“Pertaining to sadism; characterized by pleasure in causing suffering.”
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