Meanings
alternative like a moth to a flame · alternative like a moth to flame
- Inescapably allured by something harmful.
I came back and back to the same bad relationship, like a moth to the flame.
Origin
From the behavior of moths, that are instinctively attracted to light and are sometimes observed to go directly into flames, seemingly committing suicide.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 像飛蛾撲火一樣 /像飞蛾扑火一样
- 像飛蛾撲火一樣 /像飞蛾扑火一样 (xiàng fēi'épūhuǒ yīyàng)inescapably allured by something harmful
Finnish kuin hunaja mehiläisiä
- kuin hunaja mehiläisiäinescapably allured by something harmful
Polish jak ćma do ognia
- jak ćma do ogniainescapably allured by something harmful
Russian как ба́бочка к огню́
- как ба́бочка к огню́ (kak bábočka k ognjú)inescapably allured by something harmful
Spanish como cordero al matadero
- como cordero al mataderoinescapably allured by something harmful
Cite this entry
like a moth to the flame. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20a%20moth%20to%20the%20flame
“like a moth to the flame.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20a%20moth%20to%20the%20flame. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “like a moth to the flame,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20a%20moth%20to%20the%20flame.
Source: like a moth to the flame on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.