annulment

noun

an·​nul·​ment ə-ˈnəl-mənt How to pronounce annulment (audio)
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).

Examples of annulment in a Sentence

an annulment of that hastily conceived marriage can't come too soon
Recent Examples on the Web In this project, a jaundiced divorce attorney with anger issues gets a job at Divorce Hotel, touting 48-hour, stress-free annulments, and offering a little encouragement when needed for couples to cut the knot. John Hopewell, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023 That’s when Kristy advised Blanchard to get an annulment. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 8 Jan. 2024 Steep legal fees and mounds of paperwork make annulment practically impossible for many. Sui-Lee Wee Ezra Acayan, New York Times, 4 Nov. 2023 The pair got hitched in a wedding chapel at about 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday in January and the next day arranged for an annulment in the presence of several people, including a lawyer. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023 After a commercial break cliffhanger, Meisha shared the good news that the Catholic church had granted her an annulment. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 25 Sep. 2023 Humphries countered Kardashian’s divorce filing by seeking an annulment, claiming fraud. Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023 Democrats, who control the Senate, have opposed that bill’s sweeping spending cuts and annulment of large parts of the Biden administration’s climate agenda. Emily Wilkins, Bloomberg.com, 18 May 2023 Griner filed for an annulment only 28 days after they got married, per USA Today. Women's Health, 28 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'annulment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of annulment was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near annulment

Cite this Entry

“Annulment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annulment. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

annulment

noun
an·​nul·​ment ə-ˈnəl-mənt How to pronounce annulment (audio)
1
: the act of annulling : the state of being annulled
2
: a declaration by a court that a marriage is invalid compare divorce

More from Merriam-Webster on annulment

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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