What does annulment mean?
An annulment is a formal legal ruling that cancels something — most commonly a marriage — by declaring it void as though it had never existed. Unlike a divorce, which dissolves a valid marriage going forward, an annulment asserts that no legally valid marriage was ever formed, usually because of some defect such as fraud, bigamy, incapacity, or lack of consent. The term extends beyond marriage to cover the annulment of contracts, elections, and other official acts. Annulment is a formal register word, encountered chiefly in legal, ecclesiastical, and governmental contexts, and it carries connotations of finality and erasure rather than mere termination. Its usefulness lies in capturing this distinctive idea of retrospective invalidation: where ending something acknowledges its existence, annulment denies it altogether. Related forms include the verb 'to annul' and the adjective 'annulled'.
nounThe official cancellation or invalidation of something, especially a legal declaration that a marriage was never valid in the first place. It can also refer to the act of annulling any agreement, contract, or decree.
- The formal legal declaration that a marriage was void or voidable, treating it as if it never existed.
- The cancellation or invalidation of any contract, agreement, or official decision by legal authority.
"The couple sought an annulment of their marriage on the grounds that it had never been consummated."
"After discovering the fraud, she petitioned the court for an annulment rather than a divorce."
"The board announced the annulment of the disputed contract with immediate effect."
Standard plural form, used when referring to multiple instances of annulment, e.g., across different cases or jurisdictions.
"The diocese processed hundreds of annulments last year."
An annulment doesn't end a marriage — it erases it from history, as if it never legally happened at all.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of annulment
Annulment derives from the Latin verb 'annullare', formed from 'ad-' (to) and 'nullus' (none), meaning to reduce something to nothing. The term passed into English via Anglo-Norman French 'annuller' during the medieval period, when it was already used in both legal and ecclesiastical settings. It shares its Latin root with words such as 'nullify', 'nullity', and 'null'.
Related word forms
How annulment is actually used
Annulment is primarily a formal, legal term. In everyday speech about failed marriages, 'divorce' is far more common; 'annulment' carries specific legal and religious weight, particularly in canon law contexts where the Catholic Church may declare a marriage null.
Easily confused with annulment
A divorce legally ends a valid marriage, whereas an annulment declares that no valid marriage ever existed.
Nullification is the broader legal process of declaring something void, while annulment typically refers to marriages and similar formal agreements.