vandalism

vandalism — noun

1. the act of deliberately breaking, damaging, or marking the property of another p

1.nounB2
Definition

the act of deliberately breaking, damaging, or marking the property of another person or the public, which is treated as a crime.

Example

Naoko was shocked to see the vandalism in the park — the benches were all broken.

uncountable noun for criminal property damage

The school installed cameras to stop vandalism after someone painted on the walls.

Common collocations
  • vandalism of property
  • vandalism to cars
  • vandalism of buildings
  • vandalism at schools
Synonyms
  • destruction

    stronger in meaning; implies complete ruin, whereas vandalism suggests deliberate but not necessarily total damage

  • damage

    broader term covering both intentional and accidental harm

  • defacement

    narrower; refers specifically to damaging a surface or appearance

Antonyms
  • preservation

    the act of keeping property in good condition, opposite of damaging it

  • conservation

    protecting and maintaining things of value rather than destroying them

Usage Note

Frequently used as an uncountable noun — do not use 'a' or 'an' before it. Common after prepositional phrases beginning with 'act of' or 'form of'.

Common Mistakes

The police are investigating a vandalism.
The police are investigating vandalism.
vandalism is uncountable and does not take an indefinite article.

2. actions that harm or ruin something valuable in a non-physical way, such as a re

2.nounB2
Definition

actions that harm or ruin something valuable in a non-physical way, such as a reputation, an idea, or a work of art.

Example

Critics called the changes to the historic building an act of vandalism.

metaphorical extension: ruining something of value

Sofie considered the film director's new version an act of vandalism against the original story.

Common collocations
  • cultural vandalism
  • artistic vandalism
  • intellectual vandalism
  • vandalism against heritage
Synonyms
  • desecration

    stronger moral/religious connotation; implies violation of something sacred

  • sabotage

    implies a strategic goal of disrupting operations or systems

  • spoiling

    less formal and broader in meaning; does not carry the same deliberate malice

Antonyms
  • respect

    showing care and regard for something rather than damaging it

  • appreciation

    recognising and valuing something, the opposite of spoiling it

Usage Note

Always uncountable; do not use with an indefinite article. The metaphorical meaning often follows the pattern '___ is (an act of) vandalism' where the subject is a change or action perceived as spoiling something valuable.

Common Mistakes

The director committed many vandalisms on the original story.
The director committed many acts of vandalism against the original story.
vandalism is uncountable; use 'acts of vandalism' for specific instances.

Word family

  • vandal
    nounB2
  • vandalize
    verbB2
  • vandalistic
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Vandalism, destruction, damage, and defacement all refer to harming property, but they differ in intent and scope. Vandalism emphasises deliberate and malicious action against property, often with symbolic or rebellious motives — spray-painting a wall is vandalism. Destruction implies complete ruin: a house knocked down by a bulldozer is destroyed, not vandalised. Damage is the broadest term, covering accidental and intentional harm alike; a dent from a shopping cart is damage, not vandalism. Defacement is narrower, describing surface-level disfigurement such as scratching a monument. In short, vandalism requires intention and a target that belongs to someone else; destruction implies totality; damage is neutral on intent; and defacement is a subtype of vandalism focused on appearance.

vandalism ↗destruction ↗damage ↗defacement

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • an act of vandalism
  • a form of vandalism

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'vandalism' comes from the Vandals, a Germanic tribe who sacked Rome in 455 AD. During the French Revolution, the term 'vandalisme' was coined by a French bishop to describe the deliberate destruction of art and cultural treasures. English adopted it in the late 1700s, and the meaning later expanded from cultural destruction to any deliberate damage to property.