annul

Annul means to declare something legally invalid or to render it of no legal effect. In law, to annul an act, contract, or proceeding is to treat it as if it never existed, at least for its legal consequences from the outset (often described as void ab initio).

The word derives from Latin annullare, from nullus meaning "none" or "not any." In practice, annulment is about invalidity rather than mere cancellation or termination.

Marriage is the most familiar context. An annulment of a marriage declares that the union was never valid according to the applicable law or religious rule. This is distinct from a divorce, which ends a valid marriage. Grounds for annulment vary by jurisdiction and may include lack of genuine consent, coercion or fraud, misrepresentation, mental incapacity, a formal impediment (such as incest or prior bond), or the parties’ inability to consummate the marriage.

Annulment can also apply to contracts, civil decrees, or other legal instruments. When a contract is annulled, its obligations are treated as though they never arose. This contrasts with rescission, which may restore the parties to their original positions while sometimes leaving some obligations in effect or subject to restitution.

Religious contexts, such as certain Catholic procedures for a “declaration of nullity,” parallel civil annulments by focusing on the validity of formation rather than the ongoing status of a relationship.

Effects of annulment typically include altering status and rights from the outset and avoiding retroactive penalties that might follow a simple termination. The specific rules and consequences depend on the jurisdiction and the domain (marriage, contract, or administrative acts).