What is the word for purposely damaging something?
Asked by: Pearlie Veum III | Last update: February 7, 2026Score: 4.7/5 (11 votes)
The most common words for purposely damaging something are sabotage (deliberately damaging for a specific goal, often political/military) and vandalism (destroying or defacing public or private property). Other terms include defacement, wrecking, or using adjectives like malicious or willful to describe the act.
What is the word for purposely ruining something?
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization, destabilization, division, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a saboteur.
What is the word for intentionally damaging something?
Definitions of sabotage. noun. a deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged.
What is sabotage?
to intentionally damage or destroy something, for example equipment or a system, that belongs to someone else, so that it cannot be used: He claims the animal rights group sabotaged their vehicles and trailers.
What is a word for someone damaging something?
detrimental harmful injurious prejudicial ruinous.
What is a word for intentional damage?
Criminal damage, also known as vandalism or malicious mischief, refers to the intentional destruction or defacement of property belonging to another person or entity. This offense can encompass a wide range of actions, from graffiti and property damage to arson and sabotage.
What's a word for negatively impact?
Words for "negative impact" include detriment, drawback, disadvantage, consequence, repercussion, fallout, harm, damage, adverse effect, downside, toll, blowback, or detrimental effect, with the best choice depending on context, like "fallout" for aftermath, "toll" for cumulative cost, or "repercussion" for unforeseen results, notes WordHippo.
What is a deliberate act of sabotage?
1the act of doing deliberate damage to equipment, transportation, machines, etc. to prevent an enemy from using them, or to protest about something an act of economic/military/industrial sabotage Police investigating the train derailment have not ruled out sabotage.
What is "quiet" sabotage?
This is a classic tactic of people who quietly sabotage others. They use gossip as a weapon, deliberately spreading falsehoods or half-truths to tarnish your reputation. Rumors can be incredibly damaging. They can turn people against you, ruin relationships, and even derail careers.
What is mental sabotage?
Behavior is said to be self-sabotaging when it creates problems in daily life and interferes with long-standing goals. The most common self-sabotaging behaviors include procrastination, self-medication with drugs or alcohol, comfort eating, and forms of self-injury such as cutting.
What is deliberate damage?
An act that will alter the current state of an item, however the act is carried out without any spite, malice or vindictiveness. An example is putting picture hooks into walls without permission.
Is agathokakological a real word?
Yes, agathokakological is a real, albeit rare, English word meaning "composed of both good and evil," derived from Greek roots for "good" (agathos) and "bad" (kakos). Coined by Robert Southey in the 1830s, it's considered a "nonce word," used for special occasions, and is recognized in major dictionaries like Merriam-Webster.
What is a word for deliberately harmful?
Malicious is the adjective based on the noun malice, which means the desire to harm others. Both words come from the Latin word malus, for bad.
What is a gen z slang word?
Gen Z slang includes terms like "Rizz" (charisma/flirting skill), "Slay" (doing something impressively well), "Bet" (agreement), "Bussin'" (very good, usually food), "Sus" (suspicious/questionable), "Cheugy" (outdated/trying too hard), and "Glow Up" (major transformation). These words often describe feelings, actions, or aesthetics, with many originating from AAVE or internet culture, like "It's giving..." or "Main Character" energy, notes Reddit users and Parade magazine.
What is the word for intentionally causing harm?
Malice is the intention to cause harm.
What mental disorder is self-sabotaging?
Borderline personality disorder causes a broad range of reactions that can be considered self-destructive or self-sabotaging. It influences thoughts, emotions, behavior, and communication, adding a degree of volatility and unpredictability to daily living that can be unsettling for BPD sufferers and their loved ones.
What are HR trigger words?
HR trigger words are terms that alert Human Resources to potential policy violations, serious workplace issues like harassment, discrimination, bullying, retaliation, or a hostile work environment, and significant risks like lawsuits, high turnover, or burnout, prompting investigation or intervention, while other buzzwords like "quiet quitting" signal cultural trends. Using them signals a serious concern requiring HR's immediate attention for compliance and employee safety, though overly negative or absolute language can also be flagged.
What trauma creates self-sabotage?
Trauma, especially childhood trauma (neglect, abuse, shaming, inconsistent care), creates self-sabotage by fostering deep-seated beliefs of unworthiness, fear of abandonment/vulnerability, and a need to recreate familiar (though painful) patterns, leading individuals to unconsciously undermine their own success and happiness as a misguided defense mechanism or way to maintain control. This behavior stems from a learned sense that "good things don't last" or "I don't deserve happiness," causing people to push away healthy relationships or block opportunities to prevent future hurt, making misery feel "normal".
What are the two types of sabotage?
The two main types of sabotage are active/overt (direct disruption like destroying property or spreading misinformation) and passive/covert (indirect hindrance through inaction, procrastination, or subtle non-cooperation). These can apply to external attacks (warfare, corporate espionage) or self-sabotage, where individuals hinder their own success through behaviors like procrastination or self-doubt.
What is the act of destroying or damaging something?
Definition of sabotage. as in destruction. the act of destroying or damaging something deliberately so that it does not work correctly Angry workers were responsible for the sabotage of the machines.
What is the difference between sabotage and vandalism?
Comparison with related terms
Vandalism focuses solely on property damage, while sabotage may involve broader intentions to disrupt operations. Spying to obtain confidential information.
What is an act of deliberate disloyalty?
Betrayal means "an act of deliberate disloyalty," like when your friend told other people all your secrets. What a betrayal! Betrayal's root is betray, which comes from the Middle English word bitrayen — meaning "mislead, deceive." Betrayal has to do with destroying someone's trust, possibly by lying.
What is a word for affecting someone negatively?
Words for negatively affecting someone include harm, damage, undermine, upset, hinder, disrupt, detriment, adversely, prejudice, or more specific terms like demean, sabotage, or traumatize, depending on the severity and type of negative impact. You can also use phrases like "take a toll on," "deal a blow to," or "wreak havoc on".
How do you say "out of whack" professionally?
To professionally say "out of whack," use words like malfunctioning, not functioning, out of order, unbalanced, disproportionate, or misaligned, depending on whether you mean a system, data, or something physical; for processes, try unsystematic, disorganized, or chaotic.
What is a word for badly affected?
afflicted concerned damaged distressed impressed overwhelmed stirred touched troubled.