verb
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to render weak or ineffective, as an argument
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to take away the legal force or effectiveness of; annul, as a contract
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of invalidate
Explanation
If administrators find out that students cheated on a test, the school might invalidate their class grades. To invalidate means to cancel something or make it void, as if it never happened. In invalidate you see the word valid which means true or correct. When you invalidate something you are making it less true, less official, or less correct. If you buy something that doesn't work properly and then try to fix it yourself, you invalidate the warranty. If you have a wacky theory that cars grow from trees, your teacher might invalidate your theory by taking you on a tour of an auto factory.
Vocabulary lists containing invalidate
Red Scarf Girl
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 2
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Far from the 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.
Even more fundamentally, Jay pointed out that the attorney general’s theory would invalidate Florida’s adoption laws.
From Slate • May 13, 2026
One doctor never examined her, while another barely spoke to her; either of these issues could invalidate competency declarations and expose medical misconduct, fraud and/or conspiracy.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
US District Judge Royce Lamberth endorsed Revolution Wind's request to invalidate the US Interior Department's move to suspend the project off the coast of Rhode Island.
From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026
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 • Dec. 2, 2025
In general, I felt as if I couldn’t win, that no amount of faith or hard work would push me past my detractors and their attempts to invalidate me.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
