annul

American  

[uh-nuhl] / əˈnʌl /

verb (used with object)

annulled, annulling

1. (especially of laws or other established rules, usages, etc.) to make void or null; abolish; cancel; invalidate.

   to annul a marriage.

   Synonyms:

   repeal, rescind, nullify

2. to reduce to nothing; obliterate.

3. to cancel (a regularly scheduled train, plane, social event, etc.) for one day or one time only.

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annul British  

/ əˈnʌl /

verb

1. (tr) to make (something, esp a law or marriage) void; cancel the validity of; abolish

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Other Word Forms

• annullable
  adjective
• self-annulling
  adjective
• unannullable
  adjective
• unannulled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of annul

1375–1425; late Middle English < Anglo-French annuler < Late Latin adnūllāre render null (calque of Greek exoudeneîn ), equivalent to ad- ad- + -nullāre, verbal derivative of Latin nūllus no, not any

Explanation

When a celebrity wakes up in Las Vegas with a mysterious wedding ring on her finger, the first thing she’ll probably want to do is annul the marriage. That will declare it invalid and officially cancel the whole deal. Annul, which means “to cancel” or “to invalidate,” is usually used in the context of politics or marriage. New government officials often want to annul laws and policies of the previous post-holder, effectively reversing their work. When you annul a marriage, you are officially declaring it invalid, as if it never happened. In the case of the unfortunate celebrity marriage, however, it could be difficult to completely erase all record of the event — especially if the tabloids hear about it.

Example Sentences

"The Court of Justice dismisses Lufthansa's appeal and thus upholds the General Court's ruling to annul the decision by which the Commission had approved the recapitalisation of Lufthansa," it said in a statement.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Delivering her opinion for the Court of Justice of the European Union, advocate general Tamara Capeta sided with parliament in saying the court should "annul the commission's contested decision" which was made "without any explanation."

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

Andros immediately sought to annul the move on grounds that only he had the authority to name a thanksgiving day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

Judges on the Constitutional Council dismissed eight petitions, citing insufficient evidence of irregularities or a lack of jurisdiction to annul results.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025

No, I think, but even if it were, it turned out to be Mitt, some wondrous thing, who will forever annul any of our regret.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

• abolish
• abrogate
• cancel
• declare
• delete
• dissolve
• expunge
• invalidate
• nullify
• quash
• repeal
• rescind
• retract
• reverse
• revoke
• undo
• vacate