as in vandalism
deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property
colorizing that classic black-and-white film would be an unforgivable act of cinematic vandalization
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to destroy
to deliberately cause the damage or destruction of another's property
he decided to vandalize the store because the owner had kicked him out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vandalization
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
Kristie Keleshian, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
The venue where the show was recorded was vandalized, and audience members were reportedly served legal notices and asked to record statements.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vandalization
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
Verb
The church's pastor was unavailable Thursday, but said in a statement the Diocese of Brooklyn said the 100-year-old statue has been vandalized three times in the past five months and cannot be fixed this time.
—Kristie Keleshian, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
The venue where the show was recorded was vandalized, and audience members were reportedly served legal notices and asked to record statements.
—Taran Khan, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vandalization
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalization
Noun
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Police say both Gamez and Villagran have since been arrested and are facing charges of felony vandalism and conspiracy to commit a crime.—
Cecilio Padilla,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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While vandalism decreased in five of six study areas, disorderly conduct was too common to show any significant decrease.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Toxins build up and start to destroy the kidneys and liver.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Renowned for its beauty and ability to attract butterflies, butterfly bush (Buddleia) can spread quickly and outcompete and destroy native plants.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One very analog cost robotics companies are now dealing with as their products proliferate in the wild is repair fees for robots who have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani tells Semafor.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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But his image had been defaced with black permanent marker, giving him an impressive handlebar mustache and large glasses with what appears to be eyelashes growing out from them.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The project, which was announced by the White House in July, became a highly controversial undertaking when the East Wing was suddenly demolished to accommodate the 90,000 square foot ballroom.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Panorama City facility is set to demolish its main ice rink, leaving athletes who use the center with a smaller, non-regulation rink.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Littleton police say the driver behind the wheel of a semi-truck that crashed into a QuickTrip on West Belleview Avenue and smashed a car against a wall is facing careless driving charges.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Kayleigh Martin smashed a home run, Chloe Veator drove in two runs in Tewksbury’s 4-3 nonleague win over Woburn.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Talley went long with an 8-iron into a back bunker on the 12th, the hole that ruined Jordan Spieth's chances of a repeat Masters victory in 2016.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
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The multiple mistresses ruined his image; the countless injuries derailed his golf game.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Setrakian refused to say whether his work on Bonta’s defense might violate state corruption laws.—
Will Swaim,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
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But the implicit argument, that Colorado law effectively compels Jeffco to violate Title IX, is a major, predictable indictment of our legislature.—
Lisa Frizell,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Red Cross said the crash damaged the building and forced three families — a total of 10 people — from their homes.—
Eva Andersen,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
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Reports and satellite images later showed large parts of the city heavily damaged or reduced to rubble.—
Maliha Rahman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vandalization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalization. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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