masochist

American  

[mas-uh-kist] / ˈmæs ə kɪst /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• masochistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of masochist

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

Compare meaning

How does masochist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sadist vs. masochist

Explanation

If you call someone a masochist, you either mean that they take pleasure in pain, or — perhaps more commonly — that they just seem to. Masochism is an eponym — a word named for a person. Leopold von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer in the nineteenth century who described the gratification he got from his own pain and humiliation. There are many self-proclaimed masochists out there today — and, one would have to imagine, at least as many sadists, those who enjoy inflicting pain on others (from the name of the Marquis de Sade). But these days you're most likely to hear the word used jokingly by someone who doesn't understand another's motivations for doing something painful or difficult: "You're still building that stone wall? What are you, some kind of masochist?"

Example Sentences

But if you are a masochist and insist on watching, certain things are guaranteed in every state-of-the-disunion speech, and Tuesday’s will be no exception.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

“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 • May 25, 2024

More importantly, what kind of masochist would want it?

From Salon • Sep. 20, 2023

And I was so happy, not because I’m a masochist or I like making people cry.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2021

“Or maybe I’m a masochist and I like girls who are as annoying as hell! Don’t try to analyze me, Jenna. I am what I am.”

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson