abolish

[uh-bol-ish]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abolish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to do away with; put an end to; annul; make void: to abolish slavery.

Origin of abolish

1425–75; late Middle English < Middle French aboliss-, long stem of abolir < Latin abolēre to destroy, efface, put an end to; change of conjugation perhaps by association with Latin abolitiō abolition

Related formsa·bol·ish·a·ble, adjectivea·bol·ish·er, nouna·bol·ish·ment, nounun·a·bol·ish·a·ble, adjectiveun·a·bol·ished, adjectivewell-a·bol·ished, adjective

Synonyms for abolish

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abolish ON THESAURUS.COM

suppress, nullify, cancel; annihilate, obliterate, extinguish; exterminate, extirpate, eliminate.

Synonym study

Abolish, eradicate, stamp out mean to do away completely with something. To abolish is to cause to cease, often by a summary order: to abolish a requirement. Stamp out implies forcibly making an end to something considered undesirable or harmful: to stamp out the opium traffic. Eradicate (literally, to tear out by the roots ), a formal word, suggests extirpation, leaving no vestige or trace: to eradicate all use of child labor.

Antonyms for abolish

establish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for abolishment

elimination, nullification, dissolution, abrogation, annulment, voidance, invalidation, cancellation, ending, vitiation, defeasance

Examples from the Web for abolishment

Contemporary Examples of abolishment

But this offering was rejected by activists who are pushing for new elections and an abolishment of the anti-protest laws.
Up to Speed: What’s Going on in Ukraine?
Nina Strochlic
February 19, 2014
Just last week, Gershom Gorenberg argued in these pages for the abolishment of the chief rabbinate.
What to Make of the Chief Rabbi Results
Zack Parker
July 25, 2013
He also once wrote an article calling for the abolishment of soccer.
Do We Need to Be Told How to Read?
William Giraldi
June 6, 2013

Historical Examples of abolishment

It indicates the way, too, for the abolishment of the peculiar institution of Utah.
The Life of John Taylor
B. H. Roberts
The Edmunds bill is a step towards the abolishment of polygamy.
The Bay State Monthly, Volume 3, No. 5
Various
Half for the temple and half for himself; and the abolishment of the seven leopards.
The Adventures of Kathlyn
Harold MacGrath
Whenever you hear of a Clancy obstructin' the abolishment of existin' governments you may notify me by return mail.'
Cabbages and Kings
O. Henry
It was evident that this Assembly must take a definite position with reference to the question of the abolishment of slavery.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921
Various

British Dictionary definitions for abolishment

abolish

verb

(tr) to do away with (laws, regulations, customs, etc); put an end to

Derived Formsabolishable, adjectiveabolisher, nounabolishment, noun

Word Origin for abolish

C15: from Old French aboliss- (lengthened stem of abolir), ultimately from Latin abolēre to destroy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for abolishment

abolish

mid-15c., from Middle French aboliss-, present participle stem of abolir "to abolish" (15c.), from Latin abolere "destroy, cause to die out, retard the growth of," perhaps from ab- "from" (see ab-) + adolere "to grow," from PIE *ol-eye-, causative of root *al- "to grow, nourish" (see old), and perhaps formed as an antonym to adolere. But the Latin word rather could be from a root in common with Greek ollymi, apollymi "destroy." Tucker writes that there has been a confusion of forms in Latin, based on similar roots, one meaning "to grow," the other "to destroy." Application to persons and concrete objects has long been obsolete. Related: Abolished; abolishing.