kleptomaniac
/ˌklɛptəˈmeɪniæk/
kleptomaniac means one who steals compulsively. It carries an Arena rating of 1473, earned across 31 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, kleptomaniac ranks #449 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #716 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,147 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #3,007 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
kleptomaniac is pronounced /ˌklɛptəˈmeɪniæk/.
Why “kleptomaniac” is a great word
KLEPTOMANIAC — [Noun] A person afflicted by a compulsive, pathological impulse to steal, typically without economic motive. From Ancient Greek κλέπτω (kléptō, "I steal") + English -maniac ("one with an excessive enthusiasm or desire for"). Unlike a "thief," who steals for criminal gain, or a "shoplifter," whose act is often opportunistic, the kleptomaniac is driven by an internal, irrational pressure. It is the cool weight of a porcelain figurale tucked into a purse, the faint rustle of a silk scarf slipped from a rack, the quiet shame of a drawer filled with pilfered pencil stubs—a private museum of stolen nothingness, where the only true possession is the fleeting mastery over an inexplicable urge.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek κλέπτω (kléptō, “I steal”) (from Proto-Hellenic *klépťō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *klep-) + -maniac.
noun
- One who steals compulsively.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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