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
According to Fishback, in February, an arsonist tried to burn down his home, where his staff was working.
—
Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026
Carlson clearly got confused between the arsonist and the fire brigade.
—Calev Myers, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
That's like the arsonist trying to be the firefighter.
—March 8, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
The state of Maryland is burning at the hands of political arsonists, and the Maryland Freedom Caucus continues to criticize the color of the few fire trucks Maryland Republicans are deploying to contain the disaster.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2026
In May, arsonists incinerated an 860,000-square-foot megamall in Warsaw; an investigation found the blaze was ordered by the GRU.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 17 Feb. 2026
The temple, more than 330 feet long and 150 feet wide (roughly 100 meters by 46 meters), was burnt down in 356 by an arsonist named Herostratus.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
The arsonists were never identified.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
He was draped in the only surviving tallit from the synagogue’s library, where the arsonist lit the fire.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026
Carlson clearly got confused between the arsonist and the fire brigade.
—Calev Myers, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
That's like the arsonist trying to be the firefighter.
—March 8, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
The state of Maryland is burning at the hands of political arsonists, and the Maryland Freedom Caucus continues to criticize the color of the few fire trucks Maryland Republicans are deploying to contain the disaster.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2026
In May, arsonists incinerated an 860,000-square-foot megamall in Warsaw; an investigation found the blaze was ordered by the GRU.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 17 Feb. 2026
The temple, more than 330 feet long and 150 feet wide (roughly 100 meters by 46 meters), was burnt down in 356 by an arsonist named Herostratus.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
The arsonists were never identified.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
He was draped in the only surviving tallit from the synagogue’s library, where the arsonist lit the fire.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arsonist
torch
Noun
-
That’s the torch Rubio now proudly carries.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Truth be told, George Floyd and Rodney King were not ideal torch bearers.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arsonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arsonist. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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