nullification

American  

[nuhl-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌnʌl ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of nullifying.

2. the state of being nullified.

3. the failure or refusal of a U.S. state to aid in enforcement of federal laws within its limits, especially on Constitutional grounds.

---

nullification Cultural  

1. 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.)

---

Other Word Forms

• nonnullification
  noun
• nullificationist
  noun
• nullificator
  noun
• renullification
  noun

Etymology

Origin of nullification

First recorded in 1620–30; from Late Latin nūllificātiōn- (stem of nūllificātiō ) “contempt,” equivalent to nūllificāt(us) (past participle of nūllificāre “to despise, contemn”) + -iōn- -ion; see nullify

Explanation

Nullification is the act of cancelling something. Counteracting the effects of a snakebite with an antidote could be described as nullification, for example. Use the noun nullification when one thing overcomes or overrides another, basically erasing the effects of the first thing. Nullification of a newly passed law would occur if the law turned out to be impossible to enforce. The word is most often used in a political sense, in fact, and was first used this way by Thomas Jefferson in 1798. The Latin root is nullificationem, "a making as nothing," from nullus, "not any."

Example Sentences

Jefferson’s ideal of self-rule included a belief in state sovereignty, to the point of nullification and beyond.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

In a split decision, the appeals panel upheld his nullification of leases to Brentwood and Safety Park Corp. but reversed his ruling on UCLA, which was based on a different law.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

That appeared to be a pretty clear case of grand jury nullification, which is exceedingly rare; federal grand juries return an indictment more than 99 percent of the time.

From Slate • Nov. 7, 2025

“I see a very real risk of jury nullification in the case. I haven't seen something like this since OJ, where there is so much sympathy for the accused.”

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2025

Madison’s more judicious arguments, published as the Virginia Resolutions, were circulating in the national press and achieving the same goal—condemning the Sedition Act but without recourse to nullification.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• abolishment
• abrogation
• annulment
• revocation