abolition

[ab-uh-lish-uhn] / ˌæb əˈlɪʃ ən /

NOUN

formal act of putting an end to, annulling

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abolishment abrogation annulment cancellation destruction dissolution elimination eradication nullification overthrow repeal revocation termination withdrawal

STRONG

annihilation end ending extirpation invalidation negation obliteration repudiation rescission subversion suppression voiding

WEAK

overturning quashing rescinding rescindment wiping out

Antonyms

STRONGEST

approval beginning construction enactment restoration start validation

STRONG

commencement opening

WEAK

confirmation establishment institution legalization promotion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This has all the technical detail required to formalise the abolition of NHS England and the move of its functions to the Department of Health and Social Care.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

After starting anew, he spent his final decades there, dying in 1810 but living long enough to witness the British and American abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

It also pointed to the abolition of US tax incentives for EV purchases and the easing of fossil fuel regulations, as well as a decline in the competitiveness of its products in Asia.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

One goal of the Mellon-supported course at Statesville is building a movement that “centers abolition,” meaning the abolition of prisons, according to the proposal I acquired via a records request.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

In general, then, there was a direct and nearly perfect correlation between demography and ideology—that is, between the ratio of blacks to whites in the population and the reluctance to consider abolition.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Vocabulary lists containing abolition

American History I

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The American Civil War

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

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