Annul
/əˈnʌl/
verbB2
Definition
Annul means to officially cancel or stop something, especially a legal agreement, contract, or marriage. When something is annulled, it is treated as if it never happened or existed. This word is often used in formal or legal situations.
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See It in Action
To officially cancel or make invalid (especially legal documents or agreements)
- •The court decided to annul their marriage because it was never legal.
- •The contract was annulled after discovering fraud.
- •The election results were annulled due to irregularities.
To declare something as having no legal effect or value
- •The company sought to annul the previous agreement.
- •The treaty was annulled by the new government.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'annul' like 'cancel,' but stronger—it means to erase something completely from records or law.
- ✓Picture a judge stamping a paper with the word 'VOID,' making the agreement disappear.
- ✓It's the feeling when you find out a rule or promise is no longer true or important.
- ✓Sounds like 'a-null' → imagine a number going to zero (null means nothing), so the thing becomes zero or nothing.
- ✓Think of a marriage that is annulled: it is like it never happened, not just ended.
- ✓NOT like 'break' (which means stop something that was working), 'annul' means to say it never existed.
- ✓NOT like 'cancel' (which can be informal or temporary), 'annul' is official and legal.
- ✓NOT like 'void' (which means empty), but 'annul' is the action that makes something void.
Try Other Words
- •Cancel: to stop or end something (Use when the stopping is less formal or legal)
- •Revoke: to officially take back a decision or permission (Use when talking about official permissions or rights)
- •Invalidate: to make something not valid or legal (Use when focusing on the loss of legal power or effect)
Unboxing
- •Prefix: 'an-' meaning 'not' or 'without' (from Latin)
- •Root: 'null' meaning 'none' or 'nothing' (from Latin 'nullus')
- •Etymology: From Latin 'annullare,' meaning to make void or reduce to nothing
- •Historical development: Used since the 15th century in English to mean making something legally void
- •Modern usage: Commonly used in law and formal contexts to describe canceling contracts, marriages, or official acts
Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of situations where it is better to annul something rather than just cancel it?
•How does annulling a marriage differ emotionally and legally from divorcing?
Fill in the blanks
1.The judge decided to annul the contract because it was signed under ___ pressure.
2.When a marriage is annulled, it is as if the marriage ___ never existed.
3.Unlike divorce, annulment ___ the marriage from the beginning.
4.The company tried to annul the agreement due to ___ information.
5.Annulment is an official action that ___ the legal validity of a document.
6.They could not simply cancel the deal; they had to ___ it to avoid future problems.
7.After the election was annulled, the results were considered ___.