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pyromaniac

/paɪroʊˈmeɪniæk/
/paɪrəʊˈmeɪniæk/
IPA guide

Other forms: pyromaniacs

Someone who loves to set fires — and, for whatever reason, can't stop setting them — is a pyromaniac.

Maniac is a word attached to many words for mental illness, but this has to be one of the most scary. A pyromaniac has a frequent, powerful desire to set fires. This is different from an arsonist, who sets fires for money. Pyromaniacs just set fires because they want to and feel a compulsion to. Pyromania is a sickness. A pyromaniac could also be someone who loves watching fires.

Definitions of pyromaniac
  1. noun
    a person with a mania for setting things on fire
    see moresee less
    type of:
    lunatic, madman, maniac
    an insane person
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