ENGLISH
REFERENCE

invalidate

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌɪnˈvæɫɪˌdeɪt// UK //ɪnvˈælɪdˌeɪt// in·val·i·date

v. to show that something is not true or correct. You use this when a fact or a rule no longer works because of new information.

v. to show that something is invalid or not true; to render a legal document or rule ineffective. Transitive — requires a direct object.


SIMPLE

New evidence can invalidate an old theory.

CONTEXTUAL

The judge invalidated the contract because one of the signers was not legally competent at the time.

COMPLEX

The discovery of a significant error in the original data invalidated the entire study, forcing the researchers to begin the experiment from scratch with a larger sample size.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

First attested in 1649; borrowed from Middle French invalider, from invalide + -er. By surface analysis, in- + validate or invalid + -ate.

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