dacryphilia

D2A1C3R1Y4P3H4I1L1I1A1
UK/ˌdækɹɪˈfɪlɪə/

noun

A paraphilia in which one is aroused by tears or sobbing.

Similar
dacrylagnia
OriginAncient Greek δάκρυ →
RareScrabble 22
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Meanings

noundacryphilia (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA paraphilia in which one is aroused by tears or sobbing.

    Dacryphilia is a non-normative sexual interest that involves enjoyment or arousal from tears and crying, and to date has never been researched empirically.

    2015, Richard Greenhill, Mark D. Griffiths, “Compassion, dominance/submission, and curled lips: A thematic analysis of dacryphilic experience”, in International Journal of Sexual Health, volume 27, number 3
    4 more examples

    On registration, the user is prompted to complete a 'fetish list', most of which the average layman would need a BDSM dictionary for: acts such as Dacryphilia, Cupping or Klismaphilia.

    2008, The Library Association of Australia, Archives and Manuscripts: The Journal of the Archives Section - Volume 36, Issues 1-2

    Perhaps dacryphilia, arousal by tears, is nearer to the mark -- certainly in Mandogi's Ghost this seems possible, not least because the text effects a seamless (unwounded) transition between the living Mandogi and (of course) his ghost.

    2016, David Punter, The Gothic Condition: Terror, History and the Psyche, →ISBN

    The present study depicts the case of Angela M, a straight Romanian woman in her mid-twenties who has a sexual interest in dacryphilia (ie she derives sexual pleasure and arousal from crying and/or tears).

    2016, Richard Greenhill, Mark D. Griffiths, “Sexual interest as performance, intellect and pathology: A critical discursive case study of dacryphilia”, in Psychology & Sexuality, volume 0

    FRANKLIN: I don't know. Listen lady, I don't know what you're into- VAN HELSING: Asphyxiaphilia, dacryphilia, sadism, masochism, androphilia, necrophilia, ass worship, and just overall full fledge kink, what about you?

    2012, Reginald Edmund, Blacula: Young, Black, and Undead

    Synonyms: dacrylagnia

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA paraphilia in which one is aroused by tears or sobbing.

Similar
dacrylagnia

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekδάκρυ“tear”
  2. Englishdacryphilia

From Ancient Greek δάκρυ (dákru, “tear”) and φίλος (phílos, “loving”) (or dacry- + -philia).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

dacryphilia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dacryphilia

MLA

“dacryphilia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dacryphilia. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dacryphilia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dacryphilia.

Source: dacryphilia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.