abolish

[ uh-bol-ish ]

verb (used with object)

1. to do away with; put an end to; annul; make void:

   to abolish slavery.

   Synonyms: eliminate, extirpate, exterminate, extinguish, obliterate, annihilate, cancel, nullify, suppress

   Antonyms: establish

abolish

/ əˈbɒlɪʃ /

verb

1. tr to do away with (laws, regulations, customs, etc); put an end to

Derived Forms

• aˈbolisher, noun
• aˈbolishable, adjective
• aˈbolishment, noun

Other Words From

• a·bolish·a·ble adjective
• a·bolish·er noun
• a·bolish·ment noun
• una·bolish·a·ble adjective
• una·bolished adjective
• well-a·bolished adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abolish¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French aboliss-, long stem of abolir, from Latin abolēre “to destroy, efface”

Word History and Origins

Origin of abolish¹

C15: from Old French aboliss- (lengthened stem of abolir ), ultimately from Latin abolēre to destroy

Synonym Study

Abolish, eradicate, stamp out mean to do away completely with something. To abolish is to cause to cease, often by a summary order: to abolish a requirement. Stamp out implies forcibly making an end to something considered undesirable or harmful: to stamp out the opium traffic. Eradicate (literally, to tear out by the roots ), a formal word, suggests extirpation, leaving no vestige or trace: to eradicate all use of child labor.

Example Sentences

Although IPP sentences have since been abolished and Lawrence's minimum term was just eight months, he has no idea when or if he will be released on parole.

From BBC

As well as promising to bring about "immediate modernisation" to the Lords by abolishing hereditary peers, Labour's general election manifesto pledged to introduce a mandatory retirement age of 80 for members of the upper house.

From BBC

Trump downsized monuments in the West during his first term, and some want him to go further in his second — by abolishing the Antiquities Act altogether.

From Los Angeles Times

All of this is not to say that Black reformers rejected the idea of staging a political revolution when necessary to abolish entrenched systemic evils.

From Salon

But while the government stresses there are "no plans to abolish the RTB", the "social revolution" Lord Heseltine heralded nearly 45 years ago is clearly facing a radical change to everything but its name.

From BBC

Related Words

• abrogate
• annul
• cancel
• dissolve
• eradicate
• nullify
• overthrow
• overturn
• prohibit
• put an end to
• repeal
• rescind
• revoke
• set aside
• stamp out
• suppress
• terminate
• wipe out