nullification

noun

nul·li·fi·ca·tion ˌnə-lə-fə-ˈkā-shən

: the act of nullifying : the state of being nullified

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

: jury nullification

nullificationist

ˌnə-lə-fə-ˈkā-sh(ə-)nist

noun

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 Henry also advocated constitutional avenues of dissent rather than the nullification efforts that would have undermined the country’s new government. —

WSJ, 12 Nov. 2023 The nullification crisis of the 1830s and the Civil War gave Congress fresh cause to enact new measures in the teeth of roiling state anger on different issues. —

Aziz Huq, Time, 21 Aug. 2023 Bauer encouraged us to get a few senators or historians to sign a letter urging nullification. —

Kai Bird, The New Yorker, 7 July 2023 The new Arkansas nullification measure seeks to ease concerns that prosecutors and law enforcement had raised about a bill Hutchinson vetoed last week that would have imposed criminal penalties on local and state police for helping enforce federal gun restrictions. —

Andrew Demillo, Star Tribune, 28 Apr. 2021 The board asked its lawyers to have nullification paperwork ready for next week’s meeting. —

Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2023 Jury nullification! —

Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 30 Mar. 2022 That could set up one of several scenarios, including a stop to the election altogether if the full board reverses the regional director’s decision, or a nullification of the results if the board sides with Amazon after the union vote has already occurred. —

Anne D'innocenzio, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Nov. 2021 Between 1882 and 1930, no state in the country had a higher rate of lynching than Florida; a state senator urged the nullification of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments; and one governor, Napoleon Bonaparte Broward II, effectively proposed the deportation of all Black people. —

Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2021 See More

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