pyromania
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pyromania
Explanation
It is never a good idea to leave a person who suffers from pyromania alone with a box of matches, since pyromania is a strong urge to start fires. Manias, compulsions or obsessions, are rarely good things, and this one is especially undesirable: an uncontrollable impulse to set fires. The pyr- part, from Greek for "fire," appears in pyramid, pyrotechnic, and empyreal; the English word fire is also distantly related. The mania part means "madness" in Greek, and "fire madness" is a good way to think of pyromania.
Vocabulary lists containing pyromania
Elements of the Universe: Pyr, Pyro ("Fire")
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Psychological Conditions and Disorders
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Psychology
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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.
However, pyromania is a rare psychiatric disorder that Lejoyeux says is very difficult to diagnose, and accounts for few arson convictions.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
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
In my memories of adolescence, beneath the constant ribbing and occasional pyromania, we had tremendous affection for one another.
From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2018
“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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
