Meaning & use
annulment
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountablelegalreligion
An official ruling that a marriage was never legally or religiously valid, as if it had never taken place.
Grammar: Countable for one case, uncountable in general: she sought an annulment, grounds for annulment.
Patterns
- annulment of something
- seek an annulment
She applied for an annulment after discovering her husband was already married.
The court granted the annulment within a few months.
In the Catholic Church, an annulment is decided by a church tribunal.
nouncountable or uncountablelegalformal
The official cancellation of a law, contract or result so that it no longer has any legal effect.
Grammar: Usually followed by of: the annulment of the contract.
Patterns
- annulment of something
The annulment of the election result caused protests.
Both sides agreed to the annulment of the contract.
The judge ordered the annulment of the earlier ruling.
Word forms
| plural | annulments |
|---|
Common combinations
- seek an annulment
- They decided to seek an annulment rather than a divorce.
- grant an annulment
- The judge refused to grant an annulment.
- grounds for annulment
- Fraud can be grounds for annulment.
- annulment of a marriage
- The annulment of the marriage was announced quietly.
- request an annulment
- He requested an annulment from the diocese.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cancellation
- Cancellation is general and covers any called-off plan, while annulment is a formal legal or religious declaration.
- invalidation
- Invalidation stresses declaring something not valid, and it is broader and less tied to marriage than annulment.
- repeal
- Repeal is used for laws being withdrawn by a government, while annulment can apply to marriages and contracts too.
- voiding
- Voiding is plainer and more common with contracts, whereas annulment is the standard term for marriage.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: annulment or divorce?
annulment vs divorce
A divorce ends a marriage that was valid. An annulment declares that the marriage was never valid at all.
Practice
What is the main difference between an annulment and a divorce?
Choose one answer.
An annulment declares that a marriage was never valid, while a divorce ends a valid marriage. The other options are false generalizations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “annulment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.