nullity
/ˈnʌləti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnʌləti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnə-lə-tē/ (ame, mw)
nullity — noun
- nullitysingular
- nullitiesplural
1. the condition of a marriage, contract, or other formal arrangement being treated
the condition of a marriage, contract, or other formal arrangement being treated by the law as if it never came into being and therefore produces no rights or duties.
The judge declared the contract a nullity because Felipe had signed it under duress.
declared + a nullity for a court ruling that an agreement has no force
Esme sought a decree of nullity, arguing that her partner had hidden a prior marriage.
decree of nullity for a court order ending a marriage that was never valid
The lawyers argued for the nullity of the agreement on the grounds that Arjun was a minor when he signed.
Without a valid witness, the entire will was open to a finding of nullity in the probate court.
The church granted Lucía a nullity rather than a divorce after her hearing in Madrid.
- invalidity
broader; can apply to any legal defect, while nullity emphasises the complete absence of effect
- voidness
rare and technical; describes the same condition but in property-law contexts
- annulment
refers to the act of cancelling, not the resulting status; nullity is what remains after annulment
- validity
the condition of having full legal force
- enforceability
specifically about whether a court will compel performance
文法句型
a nullity
declared a nullity
用法筆記
Frequently appears in fixed legal phrases such as 'decree of nullity', 'declaration of nullity', and 'a finding of nullity'. The subject of 'declare' or 'find' is usually a court, judge, or tribunal.
常見錯誤
2. a person, work, or thing regarded as having no value, impact, or distinguishing
a person, work, or thing regarded as having no value, impact, or distinguishing qualities — essentially counting for nothing.
Critics dismissed the senator's debut speech as a complete nullity, full of slogans but empty of ideas.
a complete nullity for something judged worthless
Once the new manager arrived, Talia felt reduced to a nullity in every team meeting.
reduced to a nullity for being treated as if one no longer matters
Zola refused to let anyone treat her years of fieldwork as a nullity just because the report was late.
The reviewer described the novel as a charming nullity — pleasant to read but adding nothing to the genre.
- nonentity
almost interchangeable when applied to people regarded as unimportant; slightly more common in everyday speech
- cipher
literary; suggests someone who is utterly without influence or character
- irrelevance
stresses lack of bearing on the matter at hand rather than overall worthlessness
文法句型
a nullity
the nullity of
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is literary or evaluative, applied to people, works, or efforts judged unimportant, while sense 1 is a strict legal status. Often follows verbs like 'dismiss as', 'reduce to', or 'treat as'.
常見錯誤
3. the condition of not existing at all, or of being reduced to nothing — used in a
the condition of not existing at all, or of being reduced to nothing — used in abstract, philosophical, or literary writing.
The poem ends with the speaker staring into the nullity of the winter sky over the empty fields.
staring into the nullity, a literary image of vast emptiness
Iker wrote about the nullity that follows the loss of a long-held belief.
the nullity that follows [loss], for a sense of total emptiness
Some philosophers argue that consciousness fears the nullity of death more than the pain of dying.
After the factory closed, an air of nullity hung over the once-busy streets of the small town.
- nothingness
more common; carries the same philosophical weight in everyday literary use
- void
more concrete; often used for a felt absence after loss
- nonexistence
more neutral and technical; lacks the literary emotional charge of nullity
文法句型
the nullity of
用法筆記
Almost exclusively literary or philosophical; rarely appears in news or conversational writing. Often paired with abstract or atmospheric nouns ('the nullity of death', 'an air of nullity').