annulment
Erased marital bond
Annulment is the legal declaration that a marriage was never valid—distinct from divorce, which ends a valid marriage.
Grounds vary but typically include fraud, bigamy, or lack of consent: She sought an annulment after discovering he was already married.
In Catholic tradition, annulment allows remarriage within the church.
More broadly, annulment means any official voiding of a contract, decision, or legal act.
Act of ending something
- revocationOfficial cancellation of privilege
- repealAnnul a statute
- abrogationAbolition of a law
- rescissionFormal annulment of agreements
quashing · withdrawal · retraction · countermanding · overturning · abolition · discontinuation · ending
Act of nullifying
- voidingNullifying or emptying
- dissolutionBreaking up completely
- decreeAuthoritative legal command
- rescissionFormal annulment of agreements
revocation · tribunal · voidable · ecclesiastical · grounds · fraud · bigamy · consanguinity
Legal end of matrimony
- separationState of being apart
- dissolutionBreaking up completely
- maritalOf or relating to wedlock
- spousalOf a marriage partner
matrimony · wedding · vows · sacrament · church · Catholic · prenuptial · custody
Making current again
- rebirthSpiritual or physical regeneration
- second-chanceRenewed opportunity after failing
- liberationRelease from constraint
- freedomAbsence of constraint
release · do-over · restart · closure · healing · recovery · unburdened · disentanglement
Sorrow over past actions
- reliefEasing of distress
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- lossBeing without something
closure · acceptance · bitterness · sadness · disappointment · liberation · stigma · shame
termination
Act of ending something
- revocationOfficial cancellation of privilege
- repealAnnul a statute
- abrogationAbolition of a law
rescission · quashing · withdrawal · retraction · countermanding · overturning · abolition · discontinuation · ending · voiding
invalidation
Act of nullifying
- voidingNullifying or emptying
- dissolutionBreaking up completely
- decreeAuthoritative legal command
rescission · revocation · tribunal · voidable · ecclesiastical · grounds · fraud · bigamy · consanguinity · non-consummation
divorce
Legal end of matrimony
- separationState of being apart
- dissolutionBreaking up completely
- maritalOf or relating to wedlock
spousal · matrimony · wedding · vows · sacrament · church · Catholic · prenuptial · custody · alimony
renewal
Making current again
- rebirthSpiritual or physical regeneration
- second-chanceRenewed opportunity after failing
- liberationRelease from constraint
freedom · release · do-over · restart · closure · healing · recovery · unburdened · disentanglement · independence
regret
Sorrow over past actions
loss · closure · acceptance · bitterness · sadness · disappointment · liberation · stigma · shame · healing
- divorcedivorce court, divorce decree, divorce papers, divorce filing, divorce lawyer
- family lawchild custody, child support, alimony, family court, divorce petitions
- church lawcanon law, church court, papal bull, papal bulls, papal decree
- marriage annulmentinvalid marriage, church court, dispensation, lack of consent, duress
- relationshipsfriends, romantic, family, friend, flirting
- marriagebride, groom, wedding, husband, wife
annulmentvalidation
Confirming truth or accuracy
ratification · confirmation · legitimation · legitimization · legalization
annulmentenactment
Passing into law
establishment · institution · founding · creation · formalization
- marriage annulmentsLegal erasure of matrimony
- religious annulmentChurch ruling marriage invalid
- church annulmentReligious invalidation of matrimony
- annulment papersLegal marriage cancellation documents
- legal annulmentCourt-ordered marriage cancellation