abolishment

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   The formal act or process of officially ending a law, system, or institution.

   Grammar: Usually appears as the abolishment of something; abolition is the more frequent choice in formal writing.

   Patterns

   • the abolishment of something
   • demand the abolishment of something
   • call for the abolishment of something

   The abolishment of the old tax code took several years.

   Activists demanded the abolishment of forced labor in the industry.

Common combinations

the abolishment of slavery

The museum exhibit explained the abolishment of slavery in stages.

demand the abolishment

Workers demanded the abolishment of unpaid trial shifts.

lead to the abolishment

The scandal led to the abolishment of the advisory board.

Synonyms and how they differ

abolition

The preferred and more common formal noun; abolishment is understandable but less frequent.

ending

Neutral and broad; it can refer to anything stopping, not only official systems.

repeal

Specific to removing a law by legal authority, not institutions or customs.

termination

Formal and often used for contracts, employment, or agreements.

Opposites

Word family

abolish verb

To formally end a law, system, or institution.

abolition noun

The more common noun form meaning the act of abolishing.

abolitionist noun

A campaigner for abolishing something, especially a harmful practice.

Commonly confused: abolishment or abolition? abolishment or accomplishment?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “abolishment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words