invalidate

English

Etymology

First attested in 1649; borrowed from Middle French invalider, from invalide +‎ -er. By surface analysis, in- +‎ validate or invalid +‎ -ate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈvæl.ɪ.deɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈvæl.əˌdeɪt/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Australia) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈvæl.ə.dæɪt/

Verb

invalidate (third-person singular simple present invalidates, present participle invalidating, simple past and past participle invalidated)

1. To make invalid (especially in to contract law)

   Synonyms: extinguish, nullify

   The circuit court judge's ruling was invalidated by a superior judge.

2. To make or declare (an argument, statement, or theory) unsound or erroneous; disprove.
   • 1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 181, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish):

     The multiplicity of moral opinions is an empirical fact and does not invalidate the contention that there is only one morality par excellence.

3. To render invalid; discredit.

   Telling an angry person to "calm down" can invalidate their feelings.

Synonyms

• disprove
• vitiate
• negate

Antonyms

• validate

Derived terms

• invalidator
• microinvalidate

Translations

to make invalid

• Bulgarian: обезсилвам (bg) (obezsilvam), анулирам (bg) (anuliram)
• Catalan: invalidar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使無效 / 使无效

• Czech: zneplatnit pf
• Dutch: ontkrachten (nl)
• Finnish: mitätöidä (fi)
• French: invalider (fr)
• German: entkräften (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἀθετέω (athetéō)

• Hindi: निरस्त (hi) (nirast)
• Hungarian: érvénytelenít (hu), hatálytalanít (hu)
• Ido: desvalidigar (io)
• Latin: invalidō
• Māori: whakanoa, whakamanakore
• Polish: unieważniać (pl) impf, unieważnić (pl) pf
• Slovak: zneplatniť pf
• Spanish: invalidar (es)
• Swedish: ogiltigförklara (sv)
• Turkish: geçersizleştirmek (tr), hükümsüz kılmak (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: ابطال ایتمك (ibtâl etmek), بوزمق (bozmak)

• Ukrainian: скасува́ти (uk) pf (skasuváty)

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

invalidate

1. inflection of invalidare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

invalidate f pl

1. feminine plural of invalidato

Spanish

Verb

invalidate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of invalidar combined with te