noun
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a formal invalidation, as of a marriage, judicial proceeding, etc
-
the act of annulling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of annulment
Explanation
An annulment is the cancellation of revocation of something, like a marriage. After an annulment, it's like the marriage never happened. The root nul (from Latin nullum) of this word is a good clue to its meaning: the underlying verb annul originally meant "reduce to nothing." An annulment also reduces something to nothing by canceling or terminating it, usually in a legal sense. The most common use of the term is the annulment of a marriage, which not only ends the marriage, but legally makes it as if the marriage never happened. Annulment is like a legal eraser.
Vocabulary lists containing annulment
The Renaissance and Reformation, Lessons 5–6
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Notes of a Native Son
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Cold Sassy Tree
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He does not even bother to tell her he has left, letting her find out from a letter petitioning for an annulment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
European Parliament’s trade committee blocked a U.S.-EU deal, citing the Supreme Court’s annulment of underlying tariffs.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
Last week, Hutchison warned of possible legal action against Maersk and others over the annulment of its contract.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
A Melbourne judge granted the annulment after accepting the woman was tricked into getting married, in a judgment published on Thursday.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2025
Jewish law makes no distinction between divorce and annulment.
From Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World by Ringrose, Hyacinthe
Still, over 49% of flights from Boston Logan were cancelled Tuesday morning, with similar high annulments at LaGuardia and Newark Liberty.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
The Roman Catholic Church operates tribunals that consider spiritual issues and marriage annulments.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
In some videos, the inmates are given papers described as pardons or annulments of convictions.
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2023
He is a canon lawyer, an expert on church laws, such as those guiding Catholic annulments or disputes.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 24, 2021
And to think we were talking about annulments!...
From The Rose-Garden Husband by Widdemer, Margaret
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
