Synonym Chooser

How does the verb annul differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of annul are abrogate, invalidate, negate, and nullify. While all these words mean "to deprive of effective or continued existence," annul suggests making ineffective or nonexistent often by legal or official action.

the treaty annuls all previous agreements

How do abrogate and annul relate to one another?

Abrogate is like annul but more definitely implies a legal or official act.

a law to abrogate trading privileges

Where would invalidate be a reasonable alternative to annul?

While in some cases nearly identical to annul, invalidate implies making something powerless or unacceptable by declaration of its logical or moral or legal unsoundness.

the court invalidated the statute

When is it sensible to use negate instead of annul?

The words negate and annul can be used in similar contexts, but negate implies the destruction or canceling out of each of two things by the other.

the arguments negate each other

When might nullify be a better fit than annul?

While the synonyms nullify and annul are close in meaning, nullify implies counteracting completely the force, effectiveness, or value of something.

a penalty nullified the touchdown

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of annul Spain, after months of signaling, last week annulled hundreds of millions worth of orders for battlefield weapons made by Israeli companies. Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025 After the results were announced, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took the streets of the capital, Tbilisi, demanding the results be annulled – and more than 300 days later, demonstrations continue. Leila Fadel, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025 Chakwera only won after an unprecedented election rerun as the first polls were annulled by the country’s top court. Charles Pensulo, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025 Ross Tritt, Boerner’s representative, was asked about Boerner’s position on Senate Bill 79, which, if passed, would annul the city’s 30-foot height limit for buildings within a half-mile of public transit. Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for annul
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annul
Verb
  • Price increases are to help offset the increase in operational costs that mail carriers face during this busy time of year.
    Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Hochul said the state’s funding will help offset the crisis and keep food on the table for families as Washington gridlock drags on.
    Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the 1980s, the Construction Differential Subsidy was abolished, hollowing out the commercial base.
    Big Think, Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Rogers noted that the book argues that a central cause of the war was Anglo settlers’ determination to keep slaves in bondage after Mexico largely abolished it.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • To that point, the settlement attempts to correct an economic harm and cannot address possible harms that are contemplated by other areas of law.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Therefore, fairness dictates that blue states take action and gerrymander to the greatest extent allowed under federal law to correct the unfair advantage taken by Republicans, thereby leveling the playing field.
    Marc Lampe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Northwest Passage Act, which offered a reward to any Briton who could chart a shipping route through Arctic Canada to Asia, had been repealed in 1818.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
  • In 2023, Phoenix-area utility Salt River Project invested $280 million in the installation as part of its progress toward a 15% renewable energy standard that, in 2025, state utility commissioners voted to repeal.
    Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • What’s more, opponents have neutralized his impact as a runner in recent weeks.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Some critics have interpreted the ending as a glib last-minute twist that threatens to neutralize the story’s potency and dismisses the seriousness of the movie’s premise.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Barca and Madrid reactions to the Miami game being cancelled was certainly divergent, and there will be lingering tension in the Bernabeu’s VIP areas on Sunday.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The principal didn’t immediately realize the alert had been canceled, a spokesperson for Baltimore County Public Schools told WBAL.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The outcome, with no legal means to be overturned, further cements Biya’s decades-long grip on power and underscores the resilience of Cameroon’s entrenched political system, largely based on patronage.
    Amindeh Blaise Atabong, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Initially found guilty, both were ordered to pay €8,000 ($9,310) in damages to Brigitte Macron, and €5,000 ($5,810) to her brother, but the ruling was overturned in July, with that last decision now under appeal.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Annul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annul. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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