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

• repeal
• dissolution
• cancelation
• abolishment

Examples of abolition in a Sentence

the abolition of a law

calls for the abolition of the death penalty

Recent Examples on the Web

The latest series of bills seems to take these concerns into account, while pushing further away the possibility of a complete abolition of property taxes in the state. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

But when the French themselves started to undo abolition, Dessalines understood that freedom could be preserved only with independence. —Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025

The recent abolition of these tariffs comes as the country has shifted from exporting more cotton to importing more fiber. —Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025

His childhood pastor was a guy named Henry Highland Garnet, this Black radical pastor who advocated for abolition and even made a young Frederick Douglass appear to be weak on matters of abolition and measures of equity. —Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for abolition

• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition
• deposition

Kids Definition

abolition

noun

ab·​o·​li·​tion ˌab-ə-ˈlish-ən 

1

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

2

: the abolishing of slavery

abolitionary

-ˈlish-ə-ˌner-ē 

adjective