The Meaning of Necrophilia: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know what the word necrophilia means? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word necrophilia, including its meaning, usage, synonyms, etymology, and more!

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What does the word necrophilia mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary, Pub Med, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, necrophilia is a noun that refers to the pathological sexual attraction of a person to dead bodies. A person who experiences necrophiliac (adj.) tendencies may have fantasies about having sexual intercourse with corpses. Though, a necrophile’s fantasies do not have to translate to necrophilic acts, as there are illegal. American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was a necrophiliac, and wanted a sewx slave who would do whatever he wanted. Necrophilia is also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necromania, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia. True necrophilia is classified into necrophilic homicide, regular necrophilia, and necrophilic fantasy. The motive of necrophilia is to obtain an unresisting and unrejecting partner, though psychosis and sadism are not often present. Necrophiles often choose to have occupations that can get them closer to corpses to have easier access to sexual contact such as embalmers, grave diggers, and more that fulfill their obsessive fascination. The deriving of sexual gratification or sexual pleasure from a homicide victim or dead body can also be considered a personality disorder in the Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and by the American Psychiatric Association. 

Necrophilia is five syllables – nec-ro-phi-li-a, and the pronunciation of necrophilia is ˌnɛkrəʊˈfɪlɪə. The word necrophilia comes from the prefix necro, from the Greek words nekros and philios, which creates the suffix phile. Necrophilia can be caused by low self-esteem or rejection by a sexual partner. One looks for someone who can not say no for the object of his sexual fantasies. Cases of necrophilia were seen in the Ancient Egyptians. This common motive of searching for a romantic partner in the dead is considered psychopathia sexualis.

Many different languages also contain words that mean necrophilia (ˌnɛk-roph-fīl-ē-ə). You may notice that some of these words look and sound similar to each other. These are called cognates, which are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin like Latin or Greek. This list of translations of necrophilia is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Italian: necrofilia‎ (fem.)
  •  Turkish: nekrofili‎
  •  Danish: nekrofili‎ (common)
  •   Mandarin: 戀屍癖‎, 恋尸癖‎ (liànshīpǐ), 戀屍‎, 恋尸‎ (liànshī), 屍體嗜好症‎, 尸体嗜好症‎ (shītǐ shìhàozhèng)
  •  Manx: graih kirpey‎ (masc.)
  •  Czech: nekrofilie‎ (fem.)
  •  Japanese: 屍姦‎ (しかん, shikan), 死体性愛‎ (したいせいあい, shitaisen’ai), 屍体性愛‎ (したいせいあい, shitaisen’ai), ネクロフィリア‎ (nekurofiria), 死体愛好症‎ (したいあいこうしょう, shitaiaikōshō)
  •  Swedish: nekrofili‎
  •  Portuguese: necrofilia‎ (fem.)
  •  Lithuanian: nekrofilija‎ (fem.)
  •  Russian: некрофили́я‎ (fem.)
  •  French: nécrophilie‎ (fem.)
  •  Serbo-Croatian: nekrofìlija‎ (fem.), некрофѝлија‎ (fem.)
  •  German: Nekrophilie‎ (fem.)
  •  Finnish: nekrofilia‎
  •  Slovene: nekrofilija‎ (fem.)
  •  Galician: necrofilia‎ (fem.)
  •  Greek: νεκροφιλία‎ (fem.)
  •  Dutch: necrofilie‎ (fem.)
  •  Spanish: necrofilia‎ (fem.)
  •  Estonian: nekrofiilia‎

What are other types of fetishes?

There are many different types of fetishes. Some of these range from being quite tame while others are very intense and might be too much for some. Often, when people are practicing kinky sex they will have a safe word to make sure it does not get too intense for the other person. All of these should be practiced between consenting adults. You will notice that many of these end in the suffix philia, and are types of paraphilia. See how many you are familiar with from this list from Dating XP.

  •  Yeastiality
  •  Internal cumshots
  •  Plushophilia 
  •  Odaxelagnia 
  •  Taphephilia 
  •  Vorarephilia
  •  Strap-on fetish 
  •  Pet play
  •  Objectophilia 
  •  Military Fetish
  •  Japanese rope bondage 
  •  Tentacle fetish 
  •  Stigmatophilia 
  •  Oculolinctus 
  •  Slime fetish 
  •  Hybristophilia
  •  Oculophilia 
  •  Siderodromophilia 
  •  Hygrophilia 
  •  Nullo 
  •  Quirofilia 
  •  Lace fetish 
  •  Pediophilia
  •  Symphorphilia 
  •  Idrophrodisia 
  •  Lingerie fetish 
  •  Voyeurism
  •  Rape fantasy 
  •  Morphophilia 
  •  Merinthophilia 
  •  Psychrocism 
  •  Mechanophilia 
  •  Immobility
  •  Nasolingus
  •  Zoophilia  
  •  Ice play 
  •  Omorashi 
  •  Vampire fetishism 
  •  Transformation fetish 
  •  Needle play 
  •  Kleptophilia 
  •  Pictophilia 
  •  Menophilia 
  •  Rimming 
  •  Technophilia 
  •  Katoptronophilia
  •  Teleiophilia 
  •  Vaccinophilia 
  •  Vomit Fetish
  •  Stuffing
  •  Snuff 
  •  Sadism 
  •  Maschalagnia 
  •  Medical play
  •  Pteronphilia 
  •  Kigurumi 
  •  Orgasm control 
  •  MILF 
  •  Pregnancy fetish 
  •  Teasing 
  •  Leptosadism
  •  Teratophilia 
  •  Phobophilia 
  •   JOI
  •  Helplessness kink 
  •  Keraunophilia
  •  Pygophilia 
  •  Underwear fetish 
  •  Infantilism 
  •  Trauma play 
  •  Maiesiophilia
  •  Ursusagalmatophilia
  •  Latex Fetishism 
  •  Somnophilia 
  •  Imprisonment 
  •  Suspension 
  •  Hyphephilia 
  •  Pygmalionism 
  •  Trichophilia 
  •  Urtication 
  •  Olfactophilia 
  •  Queening
  •  Zentai
  •  Vincilagnia
  •  Spanking 
  •  Narratophilia 
  •  Uniform fetishism 
  •  Sensory deprivation 
  •  Homeovestism
  •  Hoplophile 
  •  Odontophilia 
  •  Masochism
  •  Pecattiphilia 
  •  Scatophilia 
  •  Incest fetish 
  •  Hypnotism 
  •  Lesbophilia
  •  WAM fetish
  •  Necrozoophilia 
  •  Psychrophilia 
  •  Intercrural or interfemoral sex 
  •  Muscles worship 
  •  Triolism 
  •  Yaoi
  •  Hypoxia in combination with Aqua-eroticum
  •   Boob torture 
  •  Exhibitionism 
  •  Balloons Fetish 
  •  Aquaphilia 
  •  Anal toys 
  •  Gynemimetophilia 
  •  Agoraphilia 
  •  Cunnilingus
  •  Barebacking 
  •  Clothed sex (endytophilia)
  •  Erotic Wrestling 
  •  Gymnophilia 
  •  Doraphilia 
  •  Fire play 
  •  Cross-dressing
  •  Acrotomophilia
  •  Cupping 
  •  Agrexophilia 
  •  Erotic Asphyxiation 
  •  Crush fetish 
  •  Allorgasmia
  •  Consensual nonconsent  
  •  Begging 
  •  Golden showers 
  •  Choking 
  •  Food play 
  •  Caning 
  •  Claustrophilia
  •  CBT
  •  Breast worship 
  •  Dacryphilia 
  •  Edgeplay 
  •  Amaurophilia
  •  Gerbiling 
  •  Anasteemaphilia
  •  Brontophilia 
  •  Cock worship 
  •  Dendrophilia 
  •  Degradation 
  •  Bestiality 
  •  Branding 
  •  Abduction
  •  Face slapping 
  •  Armpit fetishism 
  •  Foot whipping 
  •  Anal sex 
  •  Body modification 
  •  Furries 
  •  Glasses fetish 
  •  Collar kink 
  •  Belonephilia
  •  Forced feeding 
  •  Double penetration
  •  GILF 
  •  East Asian fetishization 
  •  Frotteurism 
  •  Abasiophilia 
  •  Autogynephilia
  •  Figging 
  •  Chasmophilia 
  •  Body Painting 
  •  Foot fetishism 
  •  Acrophilia 
  •  Bondage 
  •  Corsetry 
  •  Altocalciphilia 
  •  Crurophilia 
  •  Gags 
  •  Enema play 
  •  Discipline 
  •  Dracophilia  
  •  Frotting 
  •  Fat fetishism 
  •  Fisting
  •  Electrophilia 
  •  Chinophilia 
  •  Acomoclitic 
  •  Agalmatophilia 
  •  Cuckolding
  •  Body Inflation 
  •  Eproctophilia 
  •  Actirasty 
  •  Fellatio 
  •  Autoplushophilia 
  •  Dirty talking 
  •  Abrasion 
  •  Age play 
  •  DVP 
  •  Diaper fetishism 
  •  Gerontophilia 
  •  Flagellation 
  •  Autoandrophilia 
  •  Breathplay 
  •  Group sex 
  •  Face fucking 
  •  Formicophilia 
  •  Facesitting 
  •  Castration Fantasies 
  •  Alien kink 
  •  Thesauromania 
  •  Stockings fetish 
  •  Kinesophilia 
  •  Xenophilia
  •  Lactation Fetish 
  •  Telephonicophilia 
  •  Sounding 
  •  Sensation play 
  •  Robot fetishism
  •  Parthenophilia 
  •  Leather fetish 
  •  Zelophilia
  •  Mysophilia 
  •  Nullification
  •  Tripsolagnophilia 
  •  Retifism
  •  Watersports
  •  Orgasm denial 
  •  Stygiophilia 
  •  Weapon fetish
  •  Vicarphilia
  •  Pyrophilia 
  •  Impact play
  •  Knife play
  •  Nasophilia 
  •  Phygephilia 
  •  Rhabdophilia
  •  Nyctophilia
  •  Microphilia 
  •  Revving 
  •  Sneezing Fetish 
  •  Knismolagnia 
  •  SPH
  •  Zoosexual
  •  Wax play
  •  Xylophilia
  •  Pyrolagnia 
  •  Macrogenitalism 
  •  Intoxication 
  •  Macrophilia 
  •  Pubephilia 
  •  Ponyplay 
  •  Rope bondage
  •  Phallophilia 
  •  Spandex fetishism 
  •  Impregnation fetish 
  •  Partialism 
  •  Yiffing

Overall, the word necrophilia means the diagnostic of deriving pleasure from using dead bodies for sexual purposes. Necriphiles will often choose occupational access to carry out their genuine necrophilia, and an individuals’ motivations can be caused by feelings of isolation and a search for comfort. 

Sources:

  1. List of Kinks | Dating XP
  2. necrophilia: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  3. Sexual attraction to corpses: a psychiatric review of necrophilia | PubMed