Meanings
verbabolish (third-person singular simple present abolishes, present participle abolishing, simple past and past participle abolished or (obsolete) abolisht)
present singular third person abolishes · participle present abolishing · participle past abolished · past abolished · obsolete participle past abolisht · obsolete past abolisht
- To end a law, system, institution, custom or practice.First known use First attested from around 1350 to 1470.
Slavery was abolished in the nineteenth century.
1 more example
The abolition of the death penalty in international law
2002, William Schabas, The abolition of the death penalty in international law, Cambridge University Press, titleSynonyms: abrogate, annul, cancel, dissolve, nullify, repeal, revoke, do away with · Antonyms: establish, found
- archaicTo put an end to or destroy, as a physical object; to wipe out.First known use First attested from around 1350 to 1470.
And with thy blood abolish so reproachful blot.
1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene1 more example
His quick instinctive hand Caught at the hilt, as to abolish him.
1892, Alfred Tennyson, The Marriage of Geraint
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo end a law, system, institution, custom or practice.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinabolēre“to retard, check the growth of, (and by extension) destroy, abolish”
- Middle Frenchaboliss-
- Middle Englishabolisshen
- Englishabolish
From late Middle English abolisshen, from Middle French aboliss-, extended stem of abolir, from Latin abolēre (“to retard, check the growth of, (and by extension) destroy, abolish”), and inchoative abolēscere (“to wither, vanish, cease”).
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans afskaf
- afskafto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Ancient Greek ἀναιρέω
- ἀναιρέω (anairéō)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Arabic أَبْطَلَ, أَلْغَى
- أَبْطَلَ (ʔabṭala)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- أَلْغَى (ʔalḡā)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- دَمَر (damar)to destroy
Basque abolitu
- abolituto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Bulgarian према́хвам, отменям
- према́хвам (premáhvam)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- отменям (otmenjam)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- унищожа́вам (uništožávam)to destroy
Catalan abolir, suprimir
- abolirto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- suprimirto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Chinese Mandarin 取消, 廢除 /废除
- 取消 (qǔxiāo)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- 廢除 /废除 (fèichú)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- 廢止 /废止 (fèizhǐ)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Czech zrušit
- zrušitto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Danish afskaffe
- afskaffeto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Dutch afschaffen, opheffen
- afschaffento end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- opheffento end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- vernietigento destroy
- buiten werking stellento destroy
Esperanto abolicii, forigi
- aboliciito end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- forigito end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- abolito end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Estonian tühistama, kaotama
- tühistamato end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- kaotamato end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Finnish lakkauttaa, lopettaa
- lakkauttaato end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- lopettaato end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- hävittääto destroy
French abolir, supprimer
- abolirto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- supprimerto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- détruireto destroy
German abschaffen, aufheben
- abschaffento end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- aufhebento end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- vernichtento destroy
Greek καταργώ, καταλύω
- καταργώ (katargó)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- καταλύω (katalýo)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Hebrew ביטל, הרס
- ביטל (bitél)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- הרס (harás)to destroy
Hungarian eltöröl
- eltörölto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Italian abolire
- abolireto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Japanese 止める, 無くす
- 止める (yameru)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- 無くす (nakusu)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- 廃止する (haishi suru)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- 打破する (daha suru)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- 打破する (daha suru)to destroy
Latin aboleō, interimō
- aboleōto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- interimōto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- interimōto destroy
- aboleōto destroy
Māori whakahorohoro, whakakāhore
- whakahorohoroto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- whakakāhoreto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Norwegian Bokmål abolere, avskaffe
- abolereto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- avskaffeto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- fjerneto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- destruereto destroy
- tilintetgjøreto destroy
- ødeleggeto destroy
Polish znosić, znieść
- znosićto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- znieśćto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- obalaćto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- obalićto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Portuguese abolir, suprimir
- abolirto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- suprimirto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- destroçarto destroy
- arrasarto destroy
- acabar comto destroy
Romanian aboli, distruge
- abolito end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- distrugeto destroy
Russian отменя́ть, отмени́ть
- отменя́ть (otmenjátʹ)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- отмени́ть (otmenítʹ)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- упраздня́ть (uprazdnjátʹ)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- упраздни́ть (uprazdnítʹ)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- аннули́ровать (annulírovatʹ)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- уничтожа́ть (uničtožátʹ)to destroy
- уничто́жить (uničtóžitʹ)to destroy
- ликвиди́ровать (likvidírovatʹ)to destroy
- искореня́ть (iskorenjátʹ)to destroy
- искорени́ть (iskorenítʹ)to destroy
Slovak zrušiť
- zrušiťto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Spanish abolir, suprimir
- abolirto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- suprimirto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- abrogarto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- quitarto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- destrozarto destroy
Swedish avskaffa, överge
- avskaffato end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- övergeto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- förkastato end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Tamil ஒழி
- ஒழி (oḻi)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Thai เลิก, ยกเลิก
- เลิก (lə̂ək)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- ยกเลิก (yók-lə̂ək)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- ยุบเลิก (yoob-lêrk)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Ukrainian касува́ти, скасува́ти
- касува́ти (kasuváty)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- скасува́ти (skasuváty)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Welsh diddymu, dinistrio
- diddymuto end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- dinistrioto destroy
Yiddish בטל מאַכן, אָפּשאַפֿן
- בטל מאַכן (botl makhn)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
- אָפּשאַפֿן (ópshafn)to end a law, system, institution, custom or practice
Cite this entry
APA
abolish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abolish
MLA
“abolish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abolish. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “abolish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/abolish.
Source: abolish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.