Standard Lemma guide

arsonist

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˈɑɹsənəst/
  • UK: /ˈɑːsənɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AA1 R S AH0 N AH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: AA1 R S AH0 N IH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who has committed the act of arson, or illegally setting fire to property.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: incendiarist, incendiary

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a criminal who illegally sets fire to property

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: incendiary, firebug

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactor

Narrower terms: barnburner

History

Etymology

From arson + -ist.

Across languages

Translations

83 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: brandstigter — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Albanian: zjarrvënës — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Asturian: incendiariu — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Asturian: incendiaria — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Belarusian: падпа́льшчык (padpálʹščyk) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Belarusian: падпа́льшчыца (padpálʹščyca) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Bulgarian: подпалвач (podpalvač) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Bulgarian: подпалвачка (podpalvačka) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Catalan: incendiari — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Catalan: incendiària — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Chinese Mandarin: 縱火犯 /纵火犯 (zònghuǒfàn) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Chinese Mandarin: 放火犯 (fànghuǒfàn) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Czech: žhář — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Czech: žhářka — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Danish: brandstifter — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Danish: ildspåsætter — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Dutch: brandstichter — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Esperanto: krimbruliganto — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Estonian: süütaja — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Finnish: tuhopolttaja — one who has committed the act of arson
  • French: incendiaire — one who has committed the act of arson
  • French: pyromane — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Galician: incendiario — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Galician: incendiaria — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Galician: pirómano — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Galician: pirómana — one who has committed the act of arson
  • German: Brandstifter — one who has committed the act of arson
  • German: Brandstifterin — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Greek: εμπρηστής (empristís) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Hungarian: gyújtogató — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Indonesian: pembakar — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Irish: coirloisceoir — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Italian: piromane — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Italian: incendiario — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Japanese: 放火犯 (hōkahan) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Japanese: 放火魔 (hōkama) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Kazakh: өртеуші (örteuşı) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Kazakh: өрт жіберуші (ört jıberuşı) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Kazakh: өрт қоюшы (ört qoüşy) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Kazakh: өрт салушы (ört saluşy) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Korean: 방화범 (banghwabeom) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Latin: incendiārius — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Latvian: dedzinātājs — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Latvian: dedzinātāja — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Lithuanian: padegė́jas — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Lithuanian: padegė́ja — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Luxembourgish: Brandstëfter — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Luxembourgish: Brandstëfterin — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Macedonian: паликуќа (palikuḱa) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brannstifter — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: brannstiftar — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Plautdietsch: Brauntsata — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Polish: podpalacz — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Polish: podpalaczka — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Portuguese: incendiário — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Portuguese: incendiária — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Portuguese: pirómano — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Portuguese: pirómana — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Romanian: incendiator — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Romanian: incendiatoare — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Russian: поджига́тель (podžigátelʹ) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Russian: поджига́тельница (podžigátelʹnica) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Serbo-Croatian: потпаљивач — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Serbo-Croatian: паликућа — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Serbo-Croatian: potpaljivač — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Serbo-Croatian: palikuća — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Slovak: podpaľač — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Slovak: podpaľačka — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Slovene: požigálec — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Slovene: požigálka — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Spanish: incendiario — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Spanish: incendiaria — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Spanish: pirómano — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Spanish: pirómana — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Swedish: mordbrännare — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Swedish: mordbrännerska — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Tagalog: arsonista — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Tajik: оташзананда (otašzananda) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Turkish: kundakçı — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Ottoman Turkish: یانغینجی (yangıncı) — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Vietnamese: kẻ phóng hỏa — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Vietnamese: kẻ đốt phá — one who has committed the act of arson
  • Welsh: llosgwr — one who has committed the act of arson