as in torch
a person who deliberately and unlawfully sets fire to a building or other property
they finally caught the arsonist, but only after he'd set fire to four barns
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Recent Examples of arsonist
There probably was no such an arsonist.
—
Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
An arson fire destroys the 43-year-old Globe Theatre on March 8 (the arsonist was never caught, but a firebug had set several blazes in the park that winter).
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Indeed, Knight says the Guinness family claims that the Guinness brewery feared attacks by Fenians and arsonists before Benjamin Guinness’s death.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
His sudden millions have absolutely nothing to do with her career as a leading national racial arsonist.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Days later, arsonists returned to burn what was left of Chinatown.
—Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Examples of attacks include everything from graffiti and destruction of statues to arsonists destroying entire churches and assailants attacking churchgoers with deadly weapons.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
An arsonist set a fire that damaged the front of the store and some of its interior, according to The Times of Israel.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
—USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
An arson fire destroys the 43-year-old Globe Theatre on March 8 (the arsonist was never caught, but a firebug had set several blazes in the park that winter).
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Indeed, Knight says the Guinness family claims that the Guinness brewery feared attacks by Fenians and arsonists before Benjamin Guinness’s death.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
His sudden millions have absolutely nothing to do with her career as a leading national racial arsonist.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Days later, arsonists returned to burn what was left of Chinatown.
—Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Examples of attacks include everything from graffiti and destruction of statues to arsonists destroying entire churches and assailants attacking churchgoers with deadly weapons.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
An arsonist set a fire that damaged the front of the store and some of its interior, according to The Times of Israel.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
—USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arsonist
torch
Noun
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Advertisement If Earth is ultimately doomed—if the sun will begin to incinerate us in about a billion years—Mars wouldn’t do as a safe harbor, since that planet would be put to the torch as well.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
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Last Rites also ends with Wilson’s Ed essentially passing the torch to his soon-to-be son-in-law, Tony Spera (Ben Hardy), followed by the nuptials between Tony and the Warrens’ daughter, Judy (Mia Tomlinson).—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arsonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arsonist. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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