Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

masochism

/ˈmæs.ə.kɪ.zəm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.42 in modern English

Syllables
masochism
IPA
/ˈmæs.ə.kɪ.zəm/
18
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The (often sexual) enjoyment of receiving pain or humiliation.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From German Masochismus, coined alongside Sadismus in 1886 by Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his book Psychopathia Sexualis. Named after Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, whose novel "Venus in Furs" explores a sadomasochistic relationship, + -ism.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmæs.ə.kɪ.zəm/
  • British English: /ˈmæs.ə.kɪ.zəm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

masochisms (plural)

Derived Forms

ethnomasochism masochist masochistic sadomasochism

Frequently Paired Words

sadism

Synonyms

algophilia

Antonyms

sadism

Questions

How do you pronounce masochism?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmæs.ə.kɪ.zəm/.
What does masochism mean?
The (often sexual) enjoyment of receiving pain or humiliation.
Where does masochism come from?
It is traced to German.

How to pronounce masochism

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “masochism”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmæs.ə.kɪ.zəm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “masochism”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “masochism” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.