French word

vandalisme

Pronunciation

IPA/vɑ̃dalizm/

Meaning

  • masculine nounvandalism

Example

Cette semaine, on a signalé un pic de vandalisme près de la gare.

This week, a spike in vandalism near the station was reported.

Illustration for vandalisme (vandalism)

More examples

La municipalité multiplie les actions pour réduire le vandalisme dans les parcs.

The municipality is increasing its efforts to reduce vandalism in the parks.

Core concept

A visible act of deliberate damage that scars an object used or admired by the public.

Common phrases

  • lutte contre le vandalisme

    fight against vandalism

  • vandalisme urbain

    urban vandalism

  • actes de vandalisme

    acts of vandalism

Similar words

dégradation: Intentional damage that spoils a property's appearance or impairs its function.
saccage: Severe destruction caused by violently ransacking the inside of a room or shop.
graffiti: The act of marking building or train walls with spray paint or pen.
sabotage: Intentional interference with machinery or equipment by damaging it so it fails.

Definition in French

Dommage volontaire infligé à des biens matériels, souvent dirigé contre le mobilier urbain, les vitrines ou les œuvres publiques.

Word origin

Henri Grégoire used vandalisme during the French Revolution as a term derived from Vandales, the name of the Vandals.

Usage tips

  • For one incident, French commonly uses un acte de vandalisme, while vandalisme usually names the conduct or phenomenon more generally.

Opposites

Related words

  • vandaliservandalizeverb
  • vandalisévandalizedadjective

Word lists with this word