Sadistic and Vicious

Sadistic

Sadistic adjective - Having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others.
Usage example: the troubled youth is being treated by a psychotherapist for his sadistic urges to hurt animals

Vicious is a synonym for sadistic in cruel topic. In some cases you can use "Vicious" instead an adjective "Sadistic", when it comes to topics like brutal, callous.

Nearby Words: sadism, sadistically, sadist

Vicious

Vicious adjective - Having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others.
Usage example: she made a vicious effort to destroy the lives of the people who had wronged her

Sadistic is a synonym for vicious in brutal topic. You can use "Sadistic" instead an adjective "Vicious".

Nearby Word: viciously

Both words in one sentence

Cite this Source
Vicious and Sadistic. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 29, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/sadistic/vicious
Sadistic & Vicious. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/sadistic/vicious>.
Vicious or Sadistic. 2016. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/sadistic/vicious.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "sadistic" and "vicious" have occurred on timeline