nullification

nul·li·fi·ca·tion | \ ˌnə-lə-fə-ˈkā-shən

How to pronounce nullification (audio)

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Definition of nullification

1 : the act of nullifying : the state of being nullified

2 : the action of a state impeding or attempting to prevent the operation and enforcement within its territory of a law of the U.S.

3 : jury nullification

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Examples of nullification in a Sentence

an act aimed at curbing sedition that was perhaps the most serious attempt at nullification of freedom of the press in the nation's history

Recent Examples on the Web However, following the nullification, this means Chilima is now again the vice president. — Rabson Kondowe, Quartz Africa, "Malawi’s constitutional court has annulled its presidential election results seven months later," 3 Feb. 2020 In a 2-1 decision, the appeals court said the nullification of Baca's vote was unconstitutional. — Pete Williams, NBC News, "Faithless elector: A court ruling just changed how we pick our president," 21 Aug. 2019 The bill also provides for expungement — the nullification of lower-level cannabis possession convictions — and funding for minority neighborhoods hit hardest by prosecution of marijuana possession. — Robert Mccoppin, chicagotribune.com, "Countdown begins to Jan. 1 after Pritzker signs bill making marijuana legal in Illinois," 25 June 2019 The idea of encouraging nullification should leave most people uneasy. — Seth Stern, Washington Post, "A venture capitalist’s solutions for our troubled legal system," 7 June 2019 The defeat of a Supreme Court nominee on this basis would be a victory for a level of conscious political nullification not seen in the U.S. for a long time. — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "What Democrats Have Become," 19 Sep. 2018 France and Germany, whose leaders visited Washington, D.C., in recent weeks to appeal to Trump, have warned that nullification of the agreement could lead to all-out war in the Middle East. — Author: Karen Deyoung, Anne Gearan, David Nakamura, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump expected dump Iran nuclear deal," 8 May 2018 That’s the perfect nullification of the logic of identity politics. — Ezra Klein, Vox, "Ezra and Sam Harris debate race, IQ, identity politics, and much more.," 9 Apr. 2018 The fact that the media has criticized Trump so constantly and so uniformly from day one is perceived as a fundamental unfairness, a nullification of what so many see as their victory. — Ken Stern, The Hive, "“We’re Not Trying to Save the World; We’re Just Living in It”: Deep in Trump Country, They Are Still Grappling with Trump," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nullification.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Nullification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nullification?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=n&file=nullif01. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

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