Adjacent Words

Annul definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ANNUL', v.t. [L. ad nullum, to nothing.]
1. To make void; to nullify; to abrogate; to abolish; used appropriately of laws, decrees, edicts, decisions of courts, or other established rules, permanent usages, and the like, which are made void by competent authority.
2. To reduce to nothing; to obliterate. [Not is much use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: declare invalid; "The contract was annulled"; "void a plea" [syn: invalidate, annul, quash, void, avoid, nullify] [ant: formalise, formalize, validate]
2: cancel officially; "He revoked the ban on smoking"; "lift an embargo"; "vacate a death sentence" [syn: revoke, annul, lift, countermand, reverse, repeal, overturn, rescind, vacate]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (annulled; annulling) Etymology: Middle English annullen, from Anglo-French annuller, from Late Latin annullare, from Latin ad- + nullus not any — more at null Date: 15th century 1. to reduce to nothing ; obliterate 2. to make ineffective or inoperative ; neutralize <annul the drug's effect> 3. to declare or make legally invalid or void <wants the marriage annulled> Synonyms: see nullify

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (annulled, annulling) 1 declare (a marriage etc.) invalid. 2 cancel, abolish. Derivatives: annulment n. Etymology: ME f. OF anuller f. LL annullare (as AD-, nullus none)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Annul An*nul", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Annulled; p. pr. & vb. n. Annulling.] [F. annuler, LL. annullare, annulare, fr. L. ad to + nullus none, nullum, neut., nothing. See Null, a.] 1. To reduce to nothing; to obliterate. Light, the prime work of God, to me's extinct. And all her various objects of delight Annulled. --Milton. 2. To make void or of no effect; to nullify; to abolish; to do away with; -- used appropriately of laws, decrees, edicts, decisions of courts, or other established rules, permanent usages, and the like, which are made void by component authority. Do they mean to annul laws of inestimable value to our liberties? --Burke. Syn: To abolish; abrogate; repeal; cancel; reverse; rescind; revoke; nullify; destroy. See Abolish.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(annuls, annulling, annulled) If an election or a contract is annulled, it is declared invalid, so that legally it is considered never to have existed. The marriage was annulled last month. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Cancel, abrogate, repeal, revoke, recall, countermand, reverse, rescind, abolish, disannul, vacate, quash, nullify, supersede, invalidate, overrule, make void, set aside. 2. Reduce to nought, obliterate. See annihilate.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, abolish, abrogate, abstract, annihilate, black out, blot out, bring to naught, bring to nothing, buffer, cancel, cancel out, come to nothing, counteract, counterbalance, countercheck, countermand, counterorder, delete, disannul, discharge, dispose of, dissolve, divorce, do away with, efface, eliminate, expunge, extinguish, frustrate, grant a divorce, grant an annulment, invalidate, make void, negate, negativate, negative, neutralize, nullify, obliterate, obtain a divorce, offset, outweigh, overbalance, override, overrule, part, put asunder, put away, quash, recall, recant, redress, remove, renege, repeal, rescind, retract, reverse, revoke, separate, set aside, split up, stultify, sue for divorce, suspend, thwart, undo, unmarry, untie the knot, vacate, vitiate, void, waive, wipe out, withdraw, write off