abolition

[ab-uh-lish-uhn]

noun

1. the act of abolishing or the state of being abolished: the abolition of capital punishment;

   the abolition of war;

   the abolition of capital punishment;

   the abolition of unfair taxes.

   Synonyms: repeal, revocation, invalidation, nullification, elimination, eradication, annihilation
   Antonyms: establishment

2. the legal prohibition of slavery, especially the institutional enslavement of Black people in the U.S.

abolition

/ ˌæbəˈlɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of abolishing or the state of being abolished; annulment

2. (often capital) (in British territories) the ending of the slave trade (1807) or the ending of slavery (1833): accomplished after a long campaign led by William Wilberforce

3. (often capital) (in the US) the emancipation of the slaves, accomplished by the Emancipation Proclamation issued in 1863 and ratified in 1865

Other Word Forms

• abolitionist noun
• abolitionism noun
• abolitionary adjective
• nonabolition noun
• proabolition adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abolition¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin abolitiōn- (stem of abolitiō ), equivalent to abolit(us) “effaced, destroyed,” past participle of abolēre “to destroy, efface” + -iōn- noun suffix; abolish, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of abolition¹

C16: from Latin abolitio, from abolēre to destroy

Example Sentences

Until its abolition, capital punishment in France was carried out by beheading with the guillotine, a practice dating back to the French Revolution of 1789.

Read more on Barron's

It is more difficult to judge whether a permanent abolition would have the same long-term impact on prices as the short-term sweetener of a stamp duty holiday.

Read more on BBC

It was new to us, and to many in the party too: the abolition of stamp duty on main homes in England and Northern Ireland.

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A motion passed at its party conference at the weekend called for the party "to seek the effective abolition of private landlordism" while backing building more council houses.

Read more on BBC

Even after abolition, Lucumí continued — quietly, often in private homes — as police and officials criminalized anything perceived as “pagan.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abolishment www.thesaurus.com
• abrogation 
• annulment 
• cancellation 
• destruction 
• dissolution 
• elimination 
• eradication 
• nullification 
• overthrow 
• repeal 
• revocation 
• termination 
• withdrawal