paraphilia

noun

para·phil·ia | \ˌper-ə-ˈfi-lē-ə,

ˌpa-rə-\

Definition of paraphilia

: a pattern of recurring sexually arousing mental imagery or behavior that involves unusual and especially socially unacceptable sexual practices (such as sadism or pedophilia)

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It's estimated that roughly one third of the population experiments with some form of paraphilia at least once in their lives, with 17 percent regularly engaging in their kinks. — Andrew Paul, GQ, "What Golden Shower Practitioners Think About a Certain Rumored Pee Tape," 24 Apr. 2018 More commonly discussed types of paraphilia are things like pedophilia, zoophilia, and objectophilia. — Eliza Thompson, Cosmopolitan, "3 Experts Explain Why Some People Are Attracted to Serial Killers," 14 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'paraphilia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of paraphilia was in 1925

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More Definitions for paraphilia

paraphilia

noun

para·phil·ia | \-ˈfil-ē-ə

Medical Definition of paraphilia

: a pattern of recurring sexually arousing mental imagery or behavior that involves unusual and especially socially unacceptable sexual practices (as sadism, masochism, fetishism, or pedophilia)