VANDALISM Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

vandalism

noun

ˈvan-də-ˌli-zəm

Definition of vandalism

as in vandalization

deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property anyone guilty of vandalism to university property will be expelled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of vandalism But her right-wing government has since introduced tougher penalties for rioters, including financial liability for parents whose children take part in vandalism and looting. — Richard Engel, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2026 The cases were dropped when evidence mounted that shoddy work — not the vandalism alleged by the president and allies — was behind the pool’s problems. — Liam Bowman, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2026 In addition to the first-degree murder conviction, he was also found guilty of burglary, vandalism, tampering with evidence and evading arrest. — Adam Sabes , Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Some far-right politicians have blamed immigration for the wave of looting and vandalism that battered a number of French cities on October 17. — CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vandalism

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalism

Noun

Riverside has both a community center named for Chavez and a bronze statue — often the target of vandalization — on the Main Street pedestrian mall in the city’s downtown.

— Ryan Carter, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
Police said officers from the 116th Precinct had been alerted to the vandalization in the neighborhood and found 11 different police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, with damage.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Definition of vandalization

Noun

Today on the show, Planet Money goes inside the destruction lab to see that high octane experimentation in action and to learn about how the insurance industry has been quietly shaping the world around us for over a century.

— Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
The use of new production technologies also requires a degree of creative destruction that Beijing’s own industrial policy interventions have inhibited.

— Oliver Melton, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of destruction

Noun

Prosecutors concluded that widespread damage to the pool’s blue lining stemmed from construction problems after investigators were unable to find any evidence of intentional defacement.

— Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Livestock theft, arson and the defacement of mosques are routinely reported.

— Majdi Mohammed, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Definition of defacement

Browse Nearby Words

vandal

vandalism

vandalization

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Vandalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalism. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of vandalism

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gauntlet

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes