Synonym Chooser

How does the verb annul differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of annul are abrogate, invalidate, negate, and nullify. While all these words mean "to deprive of effective or continued existence," annul suggests making ineffective or nonexistent often by legal or official action.

the treaty annuls all previous agreements

How do abrogate and annul relate to one another?

Abrogate is like annul but more definitely implies a legal or official act.

a law to abrogate trading privileges

Where would invalidate be a reasonable alternative to annul?

While in some cases nearly identical to annul, invalidate implies making something powerless or unacceptable by declaration of its logical or moral or legal unsoundness.

the court invalidated the statute

When is it sensible to use negate instead of annul?

The words negate and annul can be used in similar contexts, but negate implies the destruction or canceling out of each of two things by the other.

the arguments negate each other

When might nullify be a better fit than annul?

While the synonyms nullify and annul are close in meaning, nullify implies counteracting completely the force, effectiveness, or value of something.

a penalty nullified the touchdown

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of annul The rocky democratic landscape just seemed to get bumpier as a dramatic year careened toward its end, with mass protests in Mozambique and Georgia, an election annulled in Romania and an attempt to impose martial law in South Korea. Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024 Months after her death, the Daejeon District Court ordered the army to recognize her as a woman and annul her dismissal in a posthumous win. Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 30 Dec. 2024 In 2020, the General Court annulled the Commission's decision, holding that the Commission had not sufficiently established that those companies enjoyed a selective advantage. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024 What's New The European Union has launched an investigation into TikTok over its role in Romania's recent presidential election, annulled following allegations of Russian interference. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for annul 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annul
Verb
  • These funds, along with government subsidies, helped offset premiums for millions of Americans, driving the enrollment gains seen in recent years.
    Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Large pharma companies are also bracing for upcoming drug patent expirations that could wipe out $300 billion in revenues by 2028, putting more pressure on them to offset losses with new products.
    Annika Kim Constantino,Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • About a quarter century after slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico (1873), another Afro-Puerto Rican genre emerged known as the plena.
    Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Trump said in December that the debt ceiling should be abolished, a position shared by some liberal lawmakers.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • This story has been corrected to show that Berkowitz works at Georgetown University, not George Washington University.
    CBS News, CBS News, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Keep an open mind when your partner, family members or friends point out differences in your parenting and be ready to correct it.
    Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Lawmakers have steadily eliminated interest subsidies during the last two decades, and this would be one of the last major subsidies to repeal.
    Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Some of the orders targeted asylum seekers crossing the southern border while others repealed birthright citizenship to children born to undocumented immigrants on U.S. soil.
    Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The Knicks went all-in on acquiring Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby to be the backbone of a defense capable of neutralizing elite perimeter scorers.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025
  • Researchers have successfully designed two proteins to neutralize some of the most lethal venom toxins, using a suite of artificial intelligence tools, per a study published January 15 in the journal Nature.
    Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Trump is expected to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling projects, reversing the Biden administration's September 2023 decision to cancel leases as part of efforts to protect 13 million acres of wilderness, The Washington Postreported.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • New presidents can — and often do — issue orders to cancel the orders of their predecessors.
    Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In 2020, Moody supported Trump by backing the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit that aimed to overturn his loss in the presidential election that year.
    Julia Manchester, The Hill, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Evidence stored in the kits, sometimes for decades, allowed cold cases to be solved and wrongful convictions to be overturned.
    Sheila McClear, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near annul

Cite this Entry

“Annul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annul. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on annul

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