- nullify
- nullify, negate, annul, abrogate, invalidate in general use are often interchangeable without marked loss. All then mean to deprive of effective or continued existence.One thing nullifies another when it reduces the latter to nothingness or deprives it of effectiveness, validity, or value{
[his] historical breadth in posing the problem of human life and destiny has been nullified ... by his philosophic narrowness in seeking the answer— Mumford
}{each of his virtues . . . was nullified by some rampant vice— Buchan
}{when intelligent people murder themselves, or are nullified by inertia, or stereotyped by publicity, it's serious— Morley
}One thing negates another when one cannot coexist with the other or both are mutually destructive{our actions often negate our principles
}{in the water, however, buoyancy largely negates gravity, and a mass that would mean crushing death on land is supported under water without trouble— Asimov
}One thing annuls another (see also ANNUL) when it neu-tralizes the effect of the other or deprives it of power to act or work{mystery does not annul meaning but enriches it— Niebuhr
}{steady, appeasing; mitigating the need, annulling even the reason for action— Boyle
}One thing abrogates another (see also ANNUL) when it effectively dispenses with or abolishes the latter{this law abrogates the rights of the minority
}{abrogated their right to the atomic bomb when they drove a few leading scientists from their shores— Berkner
}One thing invalidates another when it deprives the latter of its force or legality. Invalidate usually implies failure to meet tests of soundness or to conform to imposed conditions{a beneficiary under a will cannot witness the will without invalidating it
}{let us try to discover how far the facts confirm or invalidate this proud claim— Huxley
}{he . . . had the misuse of an extensive vocabulary and so was able to invalidate a great number of words and expressions— Connolly
}Analogous words: *neutralize, negative, counteract: offset, countervail, counterbalance, Compensate: *limit, restrict, confine
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.