abolition
- 01 C1 Advanced
the act of officially ending a law, a rule, or a system.
the formal act of abrogation or annulling a law, custom, or institution. Often used in legal or political contexts.
Simple“Many people campaigned for the abolition of the unfair tax.”
In context“The sudden abolition of the trade tariffs led to a period of economic instability as local businesses struggled to compete with foreign imports.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the historical ending of the slave trade or slavery.
the historical movement and eventual legal termination of the institution of slavery. Frequently capitalized when referring to specific historical acts.
Simple“The abolition of slavery was a major turning point in history.”
In context“Historians continue to debate the primary economic and moral drivers that eventually led to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'of', as in 'the abolition of slavery'.
Synonyms
“The film opens with controversial speeches made by the school’s spiritual leader, Guru Avimuktesh, who advocates the abolition of religious freedom, and for Indian Muslims to either convert to Hinduism or leave for Pakistan.”
“The sentence was scrapped in 2012 but its abolition was not retrospective.”
First attested in 1529. Either from Middle French abolition, or directly from Latin abolitiō, from aboleō (“destroy”). Compare French abolition. Equivalent to abolish + -tion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.