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

But a man of Roy’s hyperfocus will ultimately zero in on the even-bigger prize — the abolition of the 22nd Amendment. —Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025

Americans joined for all kinds of purposes, from pursuing hobbies like music, to advocating such extremely controversial and divisive causes as temperance, peace, and the abolition of slavery. —Johann Neem / Made By History, TIME, 2 Jan. 2025

McMahon may be directed to oversee Trump’s plans for the abolition of the Department of Education. —Charna Flam, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024

The abolition of the death penalty must be a national conversation, not a sporadic one. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

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

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