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Glite Dictionary
vandalization

vandalization

1 5.8
Damage done on purpose to public or private property including things online
  • noun
  • /ˌvændəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
translation icon : vandalismo
  • The school implemented security measures to prevent vandalization of their facilities during the summer break.

Examples

  • The local park suffered from vandalization, with several benches spray-painted and littered with broken glass.

  • Let's see—there was the protesters' vandalization of the downtown Chase bank.

    Blog text (6)

  • What she didn't understand were the implications behind vandalization—the people in the world who were weak were the ones who appeared to be weak—and, right now, the paperboy and the milkman could see that they had been victimized.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Community leaders held a meeting to discuss the recent vandalization of the historic statue in the town square.

Synonyms

vandalism
vsvandalization
57 4.1

Damage done on purpose to other people's property, like graffiti or broken windows

includes harm to public, private, or digital property not only physical items
defacement
vsvandalization
1 7.4

Damage to the surface or appearance of something, often done on purpose

is broader, including full destruction and damage beyond surface spoiling
malicious mischief
vsvandalization
  • Jargon
1 8.2

A crime of damaging another person's property on purpose

is a broader term for deliberate property harm not always framed as a crime

Antonyms

protection
974 1.0

Keeping people or things safe from harm

preservation
90 3.8

Keeping things safe and in good condition, for example food or buildings

How Severe

destruction
849 3.0
vandalization
1 5.8
defacement
1 7.4

Surface Forms

vandalization singular
vandalizations plural

Morphology

vandalization = vandalize (transparent) = vandal + ize + ation

Formed regularly by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ation' to the verb 'vandalize', yielding the act or process.

Etymology

The word vandalization comes from the name Vandals, an old group who were famous for destroying cities, so 'vandal' became a word for someone who breaks or damages things. The ending -ization means 'the act of' doing something, so vandalization means 'the act of' deliberately damaging or defacing property.