abolish
To officially get rid of something completely, such as a rule or law.
abolish in a sentence
- The new head teacher decided to abolish the old rule about lining up in silence, and the whole school cheered.
- The council voted to abolish parking charges at the seaside, so the unpopular rule vanished for good.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to abolish?
- Aend
- Bintroduce
- Ckeep
- Destablish
Show the answer
A: end. The other three mean the opposite of abolish.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to abolish?
- Aend
- Bkeep
- Ccancel
- Dscrap
Show the answer
B: keep. The other three mean nearly the same as abolish.
Words that mean something similar
end, scrap, cancel
Words that mean the opposite
keep, introduce, establish
More words about time & change
- abrupt: Sudden and quick, often in a way that feels rude or unexpected.
- accustom: To get yourself used to something new.
- amend: To change something slightly to make it better or correct.
- ancient: Very old; from a long, long time ago.
- antique: Very old and often valuable.
- antiquity: The distant past, especially the times of ancient Greece and Rome.
- awry: Not going as planned; twisted to one side.
- calamity: A terrible event that causes great damage or sadness.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test