Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused.
  • noun The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from being humiliated or mistreated, either by another or by oneself.
  • noun A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A form of sexual perversion in which the victim craves, and takes pleasure in, physical abuse from one of the other sex: the opposite of sadism.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun the enjoyment of receiving pain

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun sexual pleasure obtained from receiving punishment (physical or psychological)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836–1895), Austrian novelist .]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Named after Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, whose novel "Venus in Furs" explores a sadomasochistic relationship.

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Examples

Comments

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  • As immortalized by the immortal Tom Lehrer in his Masochism Tango:

    I ache for the touch of your lips, dear,

    But much more for the touch of your whips, dear.

    September 15, 2008

  • Or Dean Friedman:

    Cuz my credo and my -ism is

    Sado-masochism...

    September 15, 2008

  • The masochist: Please, hit me!

    The sadist: No.

    October 11, 2008