kleptomania

or clep·to·ma·ni·a

[ klep-tuh-mey-nee-uh, -meyn-yuh ]

/ ˌklɛp təˈmeɪ ni ə, -ˈmeɪn yə /

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noun Psychology.

an irresistible impulse to steal, stemming from emotional disturbance rather than economic need.

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Origin of kleptomania

1820–30; klepto- (combining form of Greek kléptēs thief) + -mania

Words nearby kleptomania

klepht, klepto, kleptocracy, kleptocrat, kleptocratic, kleptomania, kleptomaniac, klesha, kletterschuh, Kleve, klezmer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use kleptomania in a sentence

Its exercise would probably be classed with kleptomania and other like excesses of purely personal consideration.
The Soul of the Far East|Percival Lowell
Another periodical insanity is kleptomania, in which insane stealing occurs at intervals of greater or lesser regularity.
Degeneracy|Eugene S. Talbot
He is as yet not ready to agree that some sex difficulty is the only conflict back of kleptomania.
Studies in Forensic Psychiatry|Bernard Glueck
The awful impulse of kleptomania alone seemed to explain but scarcely palliate his first offence against society.
The Streets of Ascalon|Robert W. Chambers

I recollect how there used to be a regular little joke at her expense on the subject of kleptomania.
She and I, Volume 1|John Conroy Hutcheson

British Dictionary definitions for kleptomania

kleptomania

/ (ˌklɛptəʊˈmeɪnɪə) /

noun

psychol a strong impulse to steal, esp when there is no obvious motivation

Derived forms of kleptomania

kleptomaniac, noun

Word Origin for kleptomania

C19: klepto- from Greek kleptēs thief, from kleptein to steal + -mania

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for kleptomania

kleptomania

[ klĕp′tə-mā′nē-ə, -mān′yə ]

An obsessive impulse to steal regardless of economic need, usually arising from an unconscious symbolic value associated with the stolen item.

Other words from kleptomania

klep′to•ma′ni•ac′ (-nē-ăk′) adj.

Cultural definitions for kleptomania

kleptomania

[ (klep-tuh-may-nee-uh) ]

A compulsion to steal, usually without either economic need or personal desire.