Meaning & use
necrophilia
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountabletechnicalmedical
A psychiatric condition in which a person feels sexual attraction to dead bodies or engages in sexual acts with them.
Grammar: Uncountable; used mainly in medical, legal, or psychological writing: diagnosed with necrophilia.
Patterns
- diagnosed with necrophilia
- suffer from necrophilia
The court heard expert testimony about necrophilia as a recognized psychiatric disorder.
In clinical literature, necrophilia is classified among paraphilic disorders.
The novel's villain is portrayed as having necrophilia, which the author treats as a serious pathology.
noununcountablelegaltechnical
Sexual activity involving a dead body, considered a crime in many legal systems.
Grammar: Uncountable; often appears in legal contexts: charged with necrophilia.
Patterns
- charged with necrophilia
- engage in necrophilia
The defendant was charged with necrophilia after the incident at the mortuary.
Laws against necrophilia vary widely from country to country.
Forensic experts were called to determine whether necrophilia had occurred.
Common combinations
- clinical necrophilia
- The paper reviews the diagnostic criteria for clinical necrophilia.
- accused of necrophilia
- He was accused of necrophilia but later acquitted.
- necrophilia charges
- The prosecutor dropped the necrophilia charges due to lack of evidence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- necrophilism
- A rarer technical synonym used in some older psychiatric texts; necrophilia is the standard modern term.
Word family
- necrophile noun
- A person who has necrophilia.
- necrophiliac noun
- A person who has necrophilia; also used adjectivally.
- necrophilic adjective
- Relating to or characterized by necrophilia.
Commonly confused: necrophilia or necropolis? necrophilia or nephophilia?
necrophilia vs necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial site, not a psychiatric condition.
necrophilia vs nephophilia
Nephophilia is a rare term for attraction to clouds, not to dead bodies.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'necrophilia' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Necrophilia specifically refers to sexual attraction to dead bodies, so option A fits. Option B describes a phobia, option C describes an interest in archaeology, and option D describes a career preference, none of which match the clinical meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “necrophilia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.