Definition and pronunciation
annul /əˈnʌl/ (verb): to declare something legally invalid or void; to cancel the legal force of a marriage, contract, election, vote, or law.
Related noun: annulment /əˈnʌlmənt/ = the legal act or decree that makes something null and void.
Easy explanation
To annul means to officially say “this never counted.” Courts annul marriages and other legal acts so they have no effect, as if they never happened.
Grammatical formation
- Forms: annul, annuls, annulled, annulling; noun: annulment.
- Transitive verb: annul + object (“annul a marriage,” “annul a contract”).
- Typical legal subjects: a court, judge, legislature, tribunal, church authority.
Meanings and nuances
- Legal cancellation: a court or authority makes a thing invalid (marriage, contract, law, election result).
- Broader formal sense: to cancel or neutralize an effect (“soundproofing annuls the echo”)—less common, more literary.
With prepositions and variants
- annul a marriage/contract/election/vote/law
- annulment of marriage/contract/election
- grounds for annulment (fraud, incapacity, bigamy, non-consummation—jurisdiction-dependent)
- petition/file for an annulment
- grant/refuse an annulment
- set aside, void, invalidate (close legal near-synonyms)
Common collocations
annul a marriage, civil annulment, church annulment, decree of annulment, grounds for annulment, petition for annulment, grant an annulment, annul a contract, annul an election, annul a vote, annul a law, declare null and void, void ab initio
Idioms and neighboring expressions
null and void, set aside a judgment, strike down a law, void ab initio, rescind a contract, render ineffective
Word comparisons
- annul vs void/nullify/invalidate: near-synonyms; annul often implies a formal decree.
- annul vs rescind: rescind undoes a contract by mutual or statutory right; annul declares it never had legal effect.
- annul vs cancel: cancel is broader and informal; annul is legal-formal.
- annulment vs divorce: annulment treats a marriage as never valid; divorce ends a valid marriage.
Real-life examples
- “The court annulled the marriage after evidence of fraud.”
- “The city petitioned to annul the contract due to bribery.”
- “A tribunal annulled the election results over ballot tampering.”
- “They sought a church annulment in addition to the civil process.”
Sample sentences
- “She filed for an annulment within three months.”
- “The judge annulled the contract on public-policy grounds.”
- “Religious annulments follow different rules from civil annulments.”
- “The decision annulled the ordinance as unconstitutional.”
- “He asked the court to annul the deed signed under duress.”
- “They didn’t divorce; the marriage was annulled.”
- “Fraud can be grounds for annulment in many jurisdictions.”
- “The panel unanimously annulled the disputed vote.”
- “New evidence could annul the earlier settlement.”
- “Her lawyer argued to annul the agreement for misrepresentation.”
Synonyms
invalidate, nullify, void, cancel, set aside, quash, vacate, rescind, revoke, abrogate, overrule, negate
Antonyms
validate, confirm, uphold, ratify, approve, sanction, enforce
Related terms
annulment, decree of nullity, null and void, void ab initio, rescission, misrepresentation, duress, incapacity, bigamy, non-consummation, canonical annulment, civil annulment, petition, decree, jurisdiction
Connection to sexuality
The word annul is not sexual. In marriage law, some places list non-consummation (no sexual intercourse after the ceremony) as a possible ground for annulment. That’s a legal criterion, not a sexual meaning of the word.
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