vandalism
Appearance
English

Etymology
Borrowed from French vandalisme, first used by Henri Grégoire to decry the pillage and destruction of art in the course of the French Revolution, in reference to the East Germanic tribe of the Vandals, which looted Rome in 455. By surface analysis, vandal + -ism.
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈvændəlɪzm̩/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Noun
vandalism (countable and uncountable, plural vandalisms)
- Willful damage to or destruction of any property, such as graffiti or defacement.
- Synonym: vandalization
- As we turned down the street I was appalled by the vandalism: spray paint and smashed windows that were everywhere.
- 2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 57:
- Bradford once boasted two stations with overall roofs. The pair were swept away in the 1970s in an act of corporate and civic vandalism.
- 2025 March 22, Megan Forrester, “Trump suggests Tesla vandals should be sent to prison in El Salvador”, in ABC News[1]:
- President Donald Trump seemed to issue a warning to individuals who participate in Tesla vandalisms, as reports of destruction to vehicles, dealerships and charging stations surge across the country. […] When asked about his comments at the White House on Friday afternoon, Trump called the vandalism suspects "terrorists" and appeared to argue what was happening with Tesla vehicles was worse than what happened during the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
needless damage or destruction of property
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Further reading
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French vandalisme. Equivalent to vandal + -ism.
Noun
vandalism n (uncountable)
Declension
singular only | indefinite | definite |
---|---|---|
nominative-accusative | vandalism | vandalismul |
genitive-dative | vandalism | vandalismului |
vocative | vandalismule |
Swedish
Noun
vandalism c
Declension
nominative | genitive | ||
---|---|---|---|
singular | indefinite | vandalism | vandalisms |
definite | vandalismen | vandalismens | |
plural | indefinite | — | — |
definite | — | — |
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from French
- English terms derived from French
- English terms suffixed with -ism
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- Romanian terms borrowed from French
- Romanian terms derived from French
- Romanian terms suffixed with -ism
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian nouns
- Romanian uncountable nouns
- Romanian neuter nouns
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- Swedish nouns ending in "-ism"