invalidate

American  

[in-val-i-deyt] / ɪnˈvæl ɪˌdeɪt /

verb (used with object)

invalidated, invalidating

1. to render invalid; discredit.

   Synonyms:

   rebut, refute, disprove, impair, weaken

2. to deprive of legal force or efficacy; nullify.

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invalidate British  

/ ɪnˈvælɪˌdeɪt /

verb

1. to render weak or ineffective, as an argument

2. to take away the legal force or effectiveness of; annul, as a contract

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Other Word Forms

• invalidation noun
• invalidator noun

Etymology

Origin of invalidate

First recorded in 1640–50; invalid ² + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

In 2022, however, the American Journal of Therapeutics, which had published the study, warned that suspicious data “appears to invalidate the findings” regarding ivermectin’s potential to decrease deaths.

From Salon

“The recent attack doesn’t invalidate that strategy; it reinforces it.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Two years later, Silverstein persuaded a judge to invalidate the building permits for a 299-unit high-rise on Sunset Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times

At this point, university economics departments had mostly been spared of the scandals that have hit other fields, including materials science, where a blockbuster finding on room-temperature superconductivity was invalidated in 2023.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Norwegian appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court's ruling invalidating three oil permits in the major crude producer for insufficient environmental-impact studies, in a new victory for climate campaigners.

From Barron's

Related Words

• abolish
• abrogate
• annul
• discredit
• disqualify
• impair
• negate
• nullify
• overrule
• quash
• revoke
• undermine
• undo