Basic Details
Word: Annul
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To annul something is to cancel it officially, so that it no longer counts. A court can annul a contract, and a referee can annul a goal.
Synonyms: cancel, revoke, undo
Antonyms: confirm, uphold
Sounds like: annual (happening once every year)
Word origin: From Latin annullare, 'to make into nothing', built on nullus, 'none'.
How to Spell Annul
Syllables: an - nul
Tricky part: The n is doubled but the l is not. Students who know the word null often add a second l and write annull.
Watch out for: anul, annull, anull
Memory tip: Two n's open the word and a single l closes it. To annul a deal is to make it null, but annul cannot afford the second l of null.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The court annulled the contract because one of the signatures was forged.
Example 2: If the toss is annulled, the captains will have to toss the coin again.
Example 3: The principal annulled the new rule after parents raised their concerns.
Fun Fact
The l doubles when an ending starting with a vowel is added, so we write annulled and annulling, yet the noun annulment keeps just one l.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
annull
a) l
b) u
c) n
d) a
Show answer
a) l. Annul ends with one l, even though null has two.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: annul
a) cancel
b) announce
c) approve
d) confirm
Show answer
a) cancel. To annul an order is to cancel it; confirm and approve point the other way.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
nulna
a) lunar
b) annual
c) null
d) annul
Show answer
d) annul. Annual needs a second a and lunar needs an r, so only annul uses these five letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The referee annulled the goal because of a foul. What happened to the goal?
a) It was given to the other team.
b) It counted twice.
c) It won the match.
d) It did not count.
Show answer
d) It did not count.
2. A court has the power to annul ____.
a) a mango tree
b) a birthday
c) a marriage or a contract
d) a thunderstorm
Show answer
c) a marriage or a contract
