Definition

Adjective: 1. Officially authorized or approved: Having received formal permission or endorsement from a proper authority. 2. Established by authority; given authoritative approval: Formally validated or ratified by a governing body or institution. 3. Conforming to orthodox or recognized rules: Adhering to established standards, principles, or conventions, especially in a religious or formal context.

Usage Examples

• The use of the new software is a sanctioned procedure within the company.
• Only sanctioned vendors are permitted to supply materials for the government project.
• His research methods were not sanctioned by the university's ethics committee.
• In some schools, that hairstyle is not sanctioned by the dress code.

Advanced Usage

• Socially sanctioned: Refers to behaviors or practices that are approved and encouraged by societal norms.
  • Marriage is a socially sanctioned institution.
• Legally sanctioned: Refers to actions or penalties that are permitted or enforced by law.
  • The judge imposed the legally sanctioned fine for the offense.

Variants and Related Words

• Sanction (noun/verb): As a noun, it means official permission, approval, or a penalty. As a verb, it means to give official permission or to impose a penalty.
  • The council gave its sanction to the plan. (noun: approval)
  • The UN voted to sanction the country. (verb: to impose a penalty)
• Unsanctioned (adjective): Not officially authorized or approved.
  • The unsanctioned protest was quickly disbanded.

Synonyms

• Approved
• Authorized
• Endorsed
• Ratified
• Legitimate
• Orthodox (when referring to rules)
• Certified

Antonyms

• Unauthorized
• Unsanctioned
• Prohibited
• Banned
• Illicit
• Unorthodox

Adjective

1. established by authority; given authoritative approval
   • a list of approved candidates
2. formally approved and invested with legal authority
3. conforming to orthodox or recognized rules
   • the drinking of cocktails was as canonical a rite as the mixing- Sinclair Lewis