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incendiarism

incendiarism

9.9
The act of setting fire to buildings or things on purpose to cause damage
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈsɛndɪərɪzəm/
  • NSFW
translation icon : incendio intencionado
  • The authorities are investigating a case of incendiarism after multiple properties were set on fire last night.
  • outbreaks of incendiarism
  • act of incendiarism
  • problem of incendiarism

Examples

  • After 1830, incendiarism became the predominant weapon in the arsenal of agrarian revolt.

    Academic text (1999)
  • As a covert act, incendiarism is nearly flawless: it is anonymous, and its effects are immediate.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The focus of this article is on incendiarism as a tool of protest or resistance.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Incendiarism had become the routine violent acts committed by individuals.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Through the act of incendiarism, humans have infused fire in the landscape with even more meaning.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Several traditions of rural incendiarism have been documented in continental Europe.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Although the South has epitomized the problem of protest incendiarism, other regions of the country are not immune from it.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Resistance to kifagio included acts of incendiarism, involving settlers' crops and the forest reserves in which indigenous people were forced to relocate.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Particularly rebellious years were the 1790s, 1816, 1822-1823, 1830, 1834-1835, and 1843-1844, and incendiarism was an increasingly frequent tool of protest (p. 16).

    Academic text (1999)
  • The firefighters quickly responded to the act of incendiarism that had destroyed several buildings.

Synonyms

arson
vsincendiarism
97 5.1

Setting fire to a building or other property on purpose

focuses on causing damage or destruction rather than naming a crime
firing
vsincendiarism
2 2.8

The act of burning something on purpose

specifies deliberate action intended to damage or destroy property
fire-raising
vsincendiarism
  • NSFW
8.5

Setting fire on purpose to buildings or things to damage them

is a neutral technical term used across varieties and legal contexts

How Intentional

firebombing
  • Offensive
5 7.8
incendiarism
  • NSFW
9.9
carelessness
16 2.8

Surface Forms

incendiarism singular
incendiarisms plural

Morphology

incendiarism = incendiary (semi-transparent) = incendi + ism

The word is formed from 'incendiary' + '-ism' so the relation to causing fire is clear, but both elements are Latinate and relatively rare, and '-ism' more often marks doctrines than single acts, so learners may not infer the exact meaning.

Etymology

Incendiarism comes from the Latin verbs incendere 'to set on fire' and the noun incendium 'a fire', the same root you see in incendiary. So, incendiarism means the deliberate act of starting fires to cause damage.