mysophilia

1 9.9

A sexual attraction to dirt or very dirty places

noun
/ˌmaɪsəˈfɪliə/

NSFW

: misofilia

They talked openly about their mysophilia and how it influenced their relationship.

Examples

He's into mysophilia.

A Dirty Shame (2004)
She discovered her mysophilia when she felt excitement at the thought of exploring abandoned places.
His mysophilia led him to collect items that many people would consider garbage.

Antonyms

cleanliness

26 1.0

Being free from dirt and keeping things tidy

neatness

7 1.0

Being tidy and having things in order

Surface Forms

mysophilia singular

mysophilias plural

Morphology

mysophilia = philia (opaque) = myso + philia

The root 'myso' is not a standalone English word, making the word's meaning less transparent for learners.

Etymology

The word mysophilia comes from Greek parts myso- meaning 'filth' and -philia meaning 'love' or 'attraction'. So, mysophilia describes a sometimes sexual attraction to dirt or unclean things.