an abnormal condition in which pleasure, esp sexual pleasure, is derived from pain or from humiliation, domination, etc, by another person a tendency to take pleasure from one's own suffering
Compare sadism
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
mas•och•ism /ˈmæsəˌkɪzəm, ˈmæz-/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
mas•och•is•tic, adj.
mas•och•is•ti•cal•ly, adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Psychiatrya psychological disorder in which sexual pleasure is derived from pain.
- Psychiatrythe tendency to find pleasure in submissiveness, etc.
mas•och•is•tic, adj.
mas•och•is•ti•cal•ly, adv.
mas•och•ism
(mas′ə kiz′əm, maz′-),USA pronunciation n.
mas′och•ist, n.
mas′och•is′tic, adj.
mas′och•is′ti•cal•ly, adv.
- Psychiatrythe condition in which sexual gratification depends on suffering, physical pain, and humiliation.
- Psychiatrygratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others, esp. the tendency to seek this form of gratification.
- Psychiatrythe act of turning one's destructive tendencies inward or upon oneself.
- Psychiatrythe tendency to find pleasure in self-denial, submissiveness, etc.
- 1890–95; named after Latin. von Sacher-Masoch, who described it; see -ism
mas′och•is′tic, adj.
mas′och•is′ti•cal•ly, adv.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'masochism' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):