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vandalism

/ˌvændlˈɪzəm/

/ˈvændəlɪzəm/

Other forms: vandalisms

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."

Definitions of vandalism
  1. noun
    willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others
    synonyms: hooliganism, malicious mischief
    see moresee less
    type of:
    destruction, devastation
    the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
    devilment, devilry, deviltry, mischief, mischief-making, mischievousness, rascality, roguery, roguishness, shenanigan
    reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
Pronunciation
US

/ˌvændlˈɪzəm/

UK

/ˈvændəlɪzəm/

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