vandalism
noun
Simple meaning
Willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
vanduhlihzuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈvændəlɪzəm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others
“The park closed temporarily after vandalism damaged several benches and picnic tables.”
Willful damage to or destruction of any property, such as graffiti or defacement.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: Willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others
Used this way, vandalism is a common word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The park closed temporarily after vandalism damaged several benches and picnic tables.”
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- malicious mischief , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others
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