nullification

[ nuhl-uh-fi-key-shuh n ]

/ ˌnʌl ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nullification ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of nullifying.

the state of being nullified.

(often initial capital letter) the failure or refusal of a U.S. state to aid in enforcement of federal laws within its limits, especially on Constitutional grounds.

Nearby words

nulla-nulla, nullah, nullarbor plain, nulli secundus, nulli-, nullification, nullifidian, nullify, nulligravida, nulling, nullipara

Origin of nullification

1620–30; < Late Latin nūllificātiōn- (stem of nūllificātiō) contempt, equivalent to nūllificāt(us) (past participle of nūllificāre to despise) + -iōn- -ion. See nullify

Related forms

nul·li·fi·ca·tion·ist, nul·li·fi·ca·tor, nounnon·nul·li·fi·ca·tion, nounre·nul·li·fi·ca·tion, noun

Examples from the Web for nullification

This behavior is so unprecedented that neutral observers have likened it to nullification and other anti-majoritarian tactics.
Why Democrats Should End Nomination Filibusters|Jamelle Bouie|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His point being I guess that nullification wasn't limited to the South.
The South's Contribution (Singular!)|Michael Tomasky|February 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The nullification craziness, mostly talk during the first Obama term, is inching toward codification.
The GOP Plan to Steal Elections|Michael Tomasky|January 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It's a form of nullification, and Jim DeMint even used the word.
I'm Reading George Clinton for the 4th|Michael Tomasky|July 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Were there protest marches, mass donnings of tricorn hats, nullification threats from states regarding federal legislation?
The Meltdown’s True Villain|Michael Tomasky|August 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
South Carolina passed her nullification ordinance, and prepared to resist the collection of revenues at Charleston.
Famous American Statesmen|Sarah Knowles Bolton
The storm of "nullification" had not yet subsided, and Pemberton imbibed the tenets of the Calhoun school.
Destruction and Reconstruction:|Richard Taylor
They then entered suit before Judge Tomati for the nullification of the dowry contract.
The Old Yellow Book|Anonymous
The want of such power was the very ground on which South Carolina passed the nullification acts of 1832.
Nullification, Secession Webster's Argument and the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions|Caleb William Loring
Go back to the Nullification question, at the bottom of which lay this same slavery question.
Standard Selections|Various

Culture definitions for nullification

nullification

The doctrine that states can set aside federal laws. Urged in the late 1820s by John C. Calhoun, nullification precipitated a crisis between Calhoun and President Andrew Jackson. The doctrine was foreshadowed by Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Kentucky Resolutions. (See Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions.)