masochist

[ mas-uh-kist ]

noun

1. Psychiatry. a person who has masochism, the condition in which sexual or other gratification depends on one's suffering physical pain or humiliation.
2. a person who is gratified by pain, degradation, etc., that is self-imposed or imposed by others.
3. a person who finds pleasure in self-denial, submissiveness, etc.

Other Words From

• masoch·istic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of masochist¹

First recorded in 1890–1900; masoch(ism) + -ist

Example Sentences

“Spoken like a true masochist, I’m even looking forward to the disagreements, because I think we’re in a moment that we’re being tested in our ability to tolerate each other more through differences.”

From Seattle Times

Cooper, 54, an Oakland biotech executive who has handled finance for a number of companies, including one that sold for $7 billion, isn’t a masochist, exactly.

From Los Angeles Times

Call me a masochist, but what I most loved about Rebecca Gilman’s devastating play was that it tapped into multiple registers of despair: individual, communal, ecological.

From New York Times

It is immediate; everything is a clue — that someone is a masochist, or not comfortable with their body.

From Salon

He seemed to be a masochist, reaching out to be insulted again and again.

From Los Angeles Times