abolition

noun

ab·​o·​li·​tion ˌa-bə-ˈli-shᵊn How to pronounce abolition (audio)
1
: the act of officially ending or stopping something : the act of abolishing something
abolition of the death penalty
2
: the act of officially ending slavery
a proponent of abolition
abolitionary adjective

Examples of abolition in a Sentence

the abolition of a law calls for the abolition of the death penalty
Recent Examples on the Web For example, the British government compensated British Loyalists after the American Revolution, British enslavers after the abolition of slavery, and British subjects in India after a large wave of rebellions in 1857. TIME, 23 Apr. 2024 The Clotilda docked in Mobile, Alabama, in July 1860, five decades after the abolition of the American slave trade. Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024 Many have predicted that its abolition will drive up customer checks, sour them on eating out and force many places to close. Priya Krishna, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The abolition of hanging has just arrived in 1965 England, a devastating blow to Harry (Will Springhorn Jr.) who has built a career sending mortals to the bottom. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024 While the debate over precincts and vote centers has been rolling all legislative session, the abolition of early voting is new. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 28 Mar. 2024 Why did Booth kill Lincoln? Booth, who, not coincidentally, was a Shakespearean actor, was also a fervent Confederate sympathizer who was outraged by the abolition of slavery. Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024 Democrats, too, have sought abolition, rollbacks and significant reforms of, for example, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the National Security Agency. Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Black ministers spoke out against slavery and championed abolition during the slave era. Char Adams, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abolition.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French abolition, borrowed from Latin abolitiōn-, abolitiō, from aboli-, variant stem of abolēre "to abolish" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of abolition was in 1529

Dictionary Entries Near abolition

Cite this Entry

“Abolition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abolition. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

abolition

noun
ab·​o·​li·​tion ˌab-ə-ˈlish-ən How to pronounce abolition (audio)
1
: the act of abolishing : the state of being abolished
2
: the abolishing of slavery
abolitionary adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on abolition

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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