abolition

noun

ab·​o·​li·​tion ˌa-bə-ˈli-shᵊn 

1

: the act of officially ending or stopping something : the act of abolishing something

abolition of the death penalty

2

: the act of officially ending slavery

a proponent of abolition

abolitionary

ˌa-bə-ˈli-shə-ˌner-ē 

-ˌne-rē

adjective

Synonyms

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

Examples of abolition in a Sentence

the abolition of a law

calls for the abolition of the death penalty

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, the British government compensated British Loyalists after the American Revolution, British enslavers after the abolition of slavery, and British subjects in India after a large wave of rebellions in 1857. —TIME, 23 Apr. 2024

The Clotilda docked in Mobile, Alabama, in July 1860, five decades after the abolition of the American slave trade. —Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French abolition, borrowed from Latin abolitiōn-, abolitiō, from aboli-, variant stem of abolēre "to abolish" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

abolition

noun

ab·​o·​li·​tion ˌab-ə-ˈlish-ən 

1

: the act of abolishing : the state of being abolished

2

: the abolishing of slavery

abolitionary

-ˈlish-ə-ˌner-ē 

adjective