annulment
annulment Lexical Profile
annulment Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A formal legal or ecclesiastical declaration that a marriage is invalid and considered never to have existed.
"The couple petitioned the court for an annulment shortly after the ceremony."
The act of annulling something, or the state of being officially canceled, abolished, or declared legally void (such as a contract, statute, or judicial ruling).
"The supreme tribunal ordered the immediate annulment of the disputed election results."
Word Nuance & Usage
In legal and religious contexts, an annulment differs critically from a divorce: a divorce terminates an existing valid marriage, whereas an annulment retroactively declares that a valid marriage never existed in the first place.
• Rhymes for annulment
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 15th century from the verb 'annul' plus the noun suffix '-ment'. 'Annul' derives from Old French 'anuller', from Late Latin 'annullare' ('to bring to nothing'), combining 'ad-' ('to') and 'nullus' ('none').