Synonym Chooser

How does the verb nullify differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of nullify are abrogate, annul, invalidate, and negate. While all these words mean "to deprive of effective or continued existence," nullify implies counteracting completely the force, effectiveness, or value of something.

a penalty nullified the touchdown

How are the words abrogate and annul related as synonyms of nullify?

Abrogate is like annul but more definitely implies a legal or official act.

a law to abrogate trading privileges

When could annul be used to replace nullify?

The words annul and nullify are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, annul suggests making ineffective or nonexistent often by legal or official action.

the treaty annuls all previous agreements

Where would invalidate be a reasonable alternative to nullify?

While in some cases nearly identical to nullify, invalidate implies making something powerless or unacceptable by declaration of its logical or moral or legal unsoundness.

the court invalidated the statute

When is it sensible to use negate instead of nullify?

The synonyms negate and nullify are sometimes interchangeable, but negate implies the destruction or canceling out of each of two things by the other.

the arguments negate each other

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nullify The Justice Department earlier Friday notified Judge Cannon of their intent to appeal her injunction in an effort to nullify the three-day restriction. Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025 But the Prototype Festival has long nullified preconceived notions of the genre. The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025 What's Next Austin could escalate his attempt to nullify the plea agreements to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024 Last season’s playoff series was fraught with close endings, some instant iconography and an orange current that nullified Philly’s home court. Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for nullify 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nullify
Verb
  • About a quarter century after slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico (1873), another Afro-Puerto Rican genre emerged known as the plena.
    Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Trump said in December that the debt ceiling should be abolished, a position shared by some liberal lawmakers.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Lawmakers have steadily eliminated interest subsidies during the last two decades, and this would be one of the last major subsidies to repeal.
    Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Among Monday’s moves, Trump rescinded one of the defining moments from the early days of President Joe Biden’s term: repealing the ban on open trans military service (a policy that Trump initially unveiled during a July 2017 tweetstorm).
    Nico Lang, Them, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • SpaceX is developing the Starship system, which could provide a reusable alternative, but moves to cancel SLS — which has been criticized over unsustainable costs and numerous delays and quality control on the part of lead contractor Boeing — will likely face resistance.
    Andrew Jones, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Trump is expected to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling projects, reversing the Biden administration's September 2023 decision to cancel leases as part of efforts to protect 13 million acres of wilderness, The Washington Postreported.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • That came in response to a Supreme Court ruling last year that granted Trump sweeping protections from criminal liability over his role in trying to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden.
    Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
  • In 2020, Moody supported Trump by backing the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit that aimed to overturn his loss in the presidential election that year.
    Julia Manchester, The Hill, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Citing South Korean law, Korea Zinc claimed Young Poong’s voting rights were invalidated under that structure.
    Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
  • When the Dodgers won a championship during the height of a global pandemic in 2020, most fans chose to invalidate the team's success.
    Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Also, avoid flying on Sundays and Mondays, which tend to be the most expensive due to weekend trips and business travelers, according to 2024 data from flight app Hopper.
    Amelia Edelman, NPR, 25 Jan. 2025
  • And no one still with this organization will avoid the sting of Rantanen’s being traded.
    Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near nullify

Cite this Entry

“Nullify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nullify. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on nullify

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