incendiarism

English

Etymology

From incendiary +‎ -ism.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈsɛndɪəɹɪzm/

Noun

incendiarism (countable and uncountable, plural incendiarisms)

1. The act or practice of burning property; arson.
   • 1933, Public Management (volume 15, page 263)

     Incendiarism is a major fire problem in many cities; Mr. Fairtrace here recommends needed changes in insurance and fire protection methods.

   • 1975, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift [Avon ed., 1976, p. 110]:

     In the surrounding black slums incendiarism shoots up in the summer, an index, soem say, of psychopathology. Although the love of flames it's also religious.

2. (figuratively) Inflammatory or provocative action; instigation.
   • 2012, Piers Brendon, ‘Beginning the Dissent’, Literary Review, vol. 401:

     But the charge sheet is not just a recapitulation of instances of imperial incendiarism, such as the Amritsar massacre or the bombings of Iraqi villages.