pyromania
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- pyromaniac noun
- pyromaniacal adjective
Etymology
Origin of pyromania
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Studies have found that less than 10% of adults who start fires meet the criteria for pyromania.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025
It’s a testament to Yeun’s commitment that Ben’s veneer of disquieting swagger never breaks: he yawns, laughs, speaks, smokes, shakes hands, and discloses his casual pyromania all with the same air of arrogant self-possession.
From The Guardian • Jan. 9, 2019
The term has been in common use since George Roby Dempster invented the contraption in 1936; evidently they’ve always been prone to pyromania or spontaneous combustion.
From Washington Post • Jan. 8, 2018
As in India, Pakistan’s state governments have been wary of forcing farmers, a crucial vote bank, to curb their pyromania.
From Economist • Nov. 16, 2017
“You were gazing into that fire like you wanted to eat it or something. I have a cousin who for real struggles with pyromania, so I’ve seen that look before.”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
