annulment

noun

an·​nul·​ment ə-ˈnəl-mənt 

1

: the act of annulling something : the state of being annulled

2

: a judicial or ecclesiastical pronouncement declaring a marriage invalid

Did you know?

Annulment usually applies to marriage. In some states an annulment may be carried out by a court ("judicial annulment"), but annulment is generally practiced by a church ("ecclesiastic annulment"), and principally the Roman Catholic Church, which traditionally hasn't permitted divorce. The usual acceptable reason for annulment is a "failure to consummate" the marriage by having children. Unlike a marriage that ends in divorce, an annulled marriage is considered never to have existed. Other things can be annulled as well, including a contract (if one party fails to comply with its terms) or an election (if it wasn't carried out properly).

Synonyms

• abatement
• abolishment
• abolition
• abrogation
• avoidance
• cancellation
• cancelation
• defeasance
• dissolution
• invalidation
• negation
• nullification
• quashing
• repeal
• rescindment
• voiding

Examples of annulment in a Sentence

an annulment of that hastily conceived marriage can't come too soon

Recent Examples on the Web

The hijacking followed the annulment of Nigeria's June 12, 1993, presidential election. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024

Borisov collaborated with Madison especially closely during the film’s physically demanding centerpiece that plays like a real-time home invasion when Igor and the rest of the clan arrive at Ivan’s family’s Brooklyn mansion to drag her to court for an annulment. —Tomris Laffly, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024

The Court of Justice deals with requests for preliminary rulings from national courts, certain actions for annulment, and appeals, while the General Court rules on actions for annulment brought by individuals, companies, and, in some cases, E.U. governments. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

At the time of filing, the musician/actor also requested an annulment on the grounds of fraud. —Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

annulment

noun

an·​nul·​ment ə-ˈnəl-mənt 

1

: the act of annulling : the state of being annulled

2

: a declaration by a court that a marriage is invalid compare divorce