vandalism
Americannoun
-
deliberately mischievous or malicious destruction or damage of property.
vandalism of public buildings.
-
the conduct or spirit characteristic of the Vandals.
-
willful or ignorant destruction of artistic or literary treasures.
-
a vandalic act.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vandalism
Explanation
Vandalism is the destruction of someone else's property. Some people think of graffiti as public art, while others dismiss it as nothing but vandalism. If you damage public or private property on purpose, you've committed the crime of vandalism. The range of vandalism can vary from carving your initials in a desk at school to tearing pages out of a library book to breaking windows of a building. The word vandal comes from the Vandals, the Germanic tribe that attacked Rome in 455. The tribe's name meant "wanderer," but the word vandal was used in the 1600s to mean "destroyer of what is beautiful."
Vocabulary lists containing vandalism
Frindle
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for September 30–October 6, 2023
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Banned Book Club
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If it doesn’t involve unlawful activity, such as impeding people from entering or exiting the restaurants or vandalism, then it enjoys legal protection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Breaking laws against trespassing, vandalism and theft must come with strict consequences if we don’t want the White House to go the way of Limoges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
A major recovery effort is continuing after an oil spill caused by the vandalism of a nearby home heating oil tank resulted in the death of 13 birds from Broughshane Waterfowl Park.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Authorities have acknowledged security and intelligence failures that enabled the clashes, looting and vandalism that erupted on October 17.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
How did I expect to get away with such a blatant act of vandalism?
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
