vandal

[van-dl]

noun

1. (initial capital letter),  a member of a Germanic people who in the 5th century a.d. ravaged Gaul and Spain, settled in Africa, and in a.d. 455 sacked Rome.

2. a person who willfully or ignorantly destroys or mars something beautiful or valuable.

adjective

1. (initial capital letter),  of or relating to the Vandals.

2. imbued with or characterized by vandalism.

vandal

¹

/ ˈvændəl /

noun

1. 1. a person who deliberately causes damage or destruction to personal or public property

   2. ( as modifier )

      vandal instincts

Vandal

²

/ ˈvændəl, vænˈdælɪk /

noun

1. a member of a Germanic people that raided Roman provinces in the 3rd and 4th centuries _ad before devastating Gaul (406–409), conquering Spain and N Africa, and sacking Rome (455): crushed by Belisarius at Carthage (533)

Other Word Forms

• Vandalic adjective
• Vandalism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vandal¹

First recorded in 1545–55, vandal is from the Late Latin word Vandalus, Latinized tribal name

Word History and Origins

Origin of vandal¹

C17: from _Vandal , from Latin Vandallus, of Germanic origin

Example Sentences

During the last government shutdown six years ago, the revelation that vandals appeared to have chopped down a few of the Dr. Seuss-esque trees grabbed national headlines.

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Marty comes of age in the Hill Valley of 1985, where vandals have shellacked the high school with so much graffiti that the janitors seem to have given up.

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Rajoelina later disputed the toll, saying there were "12 confirmed deaths and all of these individuals were looters and vandals".

Read more on Barron's

Rajoelina has disputed the toll, saying last week there were "12 confirmed deaths and all of these individuals were looters and vandals".

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President Andry Rajoelina has disputed the toll, saying on Wednesday that there were "12 confirmed deaths and all of these individuals were looters and vandals".

Read more on Barron's