WordGarden.iovoidable
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /vˈɔɪdəbəl/
US
- /vˈɔɪdəbəl/
Meanings
Adjective
legally valid unless and until it is annulled or declared invalid
Beyond the definition
Imagine you sign a contract after someone tricks you. Maybe they lied about an important fact, or maybe you were pressured into agreeing. The contract is not automatically invalid, but it can be canceled by the person who was wronged. That is what voidable means.
"Void" means invalid from the very beginning, as if it never had legal force. "Voidable," however, means it stays legally valid unless the person with the right to object chooses to end it. This often comes up with contracts, agreements, and sometimes marriages when there was fraud, pressure, or some other serious problem at the start.
The word voidable describes something that is legally valid at first but can later be canceled or set aside. It is different from "void," which means something has no legal effect from the start. A simple way to think about it is this: a void agreement is invalid immediately, while a voidable agreement stays in effect unless the right person chooses to challenge it.
This idea appears most often in law. A contract may be voidable if one person was forced into signing it, tricked by fraud, or not fully able to give proper consent. For example, if someone lies about a major fact to get a signature, the agreement may still exist at first, but the harmed person may have the right to cancel it.
The same idea can apply in other legal situations. A marriage may be voidable if real consent was missing. A deed or similar legal act may be voidable if the signer was pressured or unfairly influenced. In each case, the problem does not always erase the act automatically; instead, it gives someone the right to try to undo it.
That is the heart of the word: something voidable is not automatically dead from the beginning. It continues to have legal effect until it is properly rejected, canceled, or set aside by the person or authority with the power to do that.
Examples
- 1
Contract law
The court found the contract voidable because the buyer had been deceived.
- 2
Marriage law
A marriage may be voidable if one partner was underage when the ceremony took place.
- 3
Employee request
The agreement was voidable at the employee's request, but it remained in force until then.
- Patternvoidable at + person's request
that person can choose to have it canceled
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- voidableadjective