abolition

noun

ab·​o·​li·​tion ˌa-bə-ˈli-shᵊn 

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

ˌa-bə-ˈli-shə-ˌner-ē 

-ˌne-rē

adjective

Synonyms

• abatement
• abolishment
• abrogation
• annulment
• avoidance
• cancellation
• cancelation
• defeasance
• dissolution
• invalidation
• negation
• nullification
• quashing
• repeal
• rescindment
• voiding

Examples of abolition in a Sentence

the abolition of a law

calls for the abolition of the death penalty

Recent Examples on the Web

With the abolition of tariffs, Lady Liberty and Mount Rushmore could be smiling upon America and the world. —Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025

Also in solidarity, Haymarket is offering three free ebooks too, about borders and police abolition. —James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025

But Democrats warn that would strike another blow against the Senate filibuster and hasten its future abolition. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 2 June 2025

Housing reforms, such as the abolition of zoning restrictions and the liberalization of environmental mandates, would enable the development of more housing development in urban cores, rather than in areas with greater wildfire risk (the wildland-urban interface), such as Altadena. —Kristian Fors, Oc Register, 16 May 2025

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

Rhymes for abolition

• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition
• deposition

Kids Definition

abolition

noun

ab·​o·​li·​tion ˌab-ə-ˈlish-ən 

1

: the act of officially ending or stopping something : the act of abolishing

2

: the abolishing of slavery

abolitionary

-ˈlish-ə-ˌner-ē 

adjective