Arsonist: meaning, definitions and examples

Use when referring to a person who deliberately sets fire to property, typically as a criminal act.

• The police arrested an arsonist who set the warehouse on fire last night.
• The town's arsonist was finally caught after weeks of investigation.

Use informally, often in a less serious context, to describe someone who is obsessed with setting fires. It can have a playful tone but is generally negative.

• The kids called him a firebug because he always played with matches.
• Local authorities are on the lookout for a firebug causing small fires in the neighborhood.

Use when discussing someone with a psychological disorder characterized by an irresistible impulse to start fires.

• The psychologist diagnosed him as a pyromaniac.
• The pyromaniac could not suppress the urge to set things ablaze, despite knowing the consequences.

Use in a formal context when referring to a person or substance that starts fires, often intentionally and with the purpose of causing damage. Also can refer to something causing conflict.

• The military discovered incendiary materials in the enemy's camp.
• His incendiary comments sparked a heated debate.

Used in legal and criminal contexts to describe someone who intentionally sets fires to property, typically for malicious purposes.

• The arsonist was apprehended by the police after setting fire to the warehouse.
• Insurance companies are always wary of claims involving fires set by arsonists.

Can be used in both literal and metaphorical contexts. Literally, it refers to someone who lights a fire, sometimes not with malicious intent. Metaphorically, it refers to someone who initiates trouble or conflict.

• During the camping trip, he became known as the fire starter because he was good at building campfires.
• In the office, she was a fire starter, often initiating arguments among colleagues.

An old-fashioned or less common term for someone who sets fires deliberately. It may be used in historical contexts or in literature.

• The medieval village was tormented by a fire raiser who left destruction in their wake.
• In the detective novel, the protagonist was hunting down the notorious fire raiser.