Definitions

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.

The Marquis de Condorcet and Jacques Pierre Brissot were Girondins who lost their lives in the Terror before the abolition of slavery, for which they had long campaigned.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

But Mr. Popkin has shown how much the abolition debate mattered at every stage of the French Revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

The abolition law of 1794 was pushed through despite, not because of, Robespierre, and soon afterward he accused his former friends of having passed a decree “whose likely result was the loss of our colonies.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

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

Jefferson, it must be remembered, had proposed the abolition of slavery in all the western territories.

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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