Synonyms for sanction
- noun
- verb
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Punishment — A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by…
punishment, penalty, ban, censure, discipline, embargo, proscription, boycott, taboo, correction, doom, punition dated
2. Authorization — an approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid
authorization UK US, authorisation UK, approval, approbation, consent, permit, assent, ratification, leave, accedence, affirmation, clearance, assentment dated
3. Warrant
Verb
1. Approve
approve, authorize UK US, authorise UK, abet, ratify, endorse, uphold, establish, seal, favor US, favour UK, confirm, sustain, okay, empower, tolerate, affirm, allow dated
Other
sanctify, legalize, legalise UK, disendorse
Definitions
- n. 1
An approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid.
The whalers had been operating in the contested waters off the island with sanction from the Japanese government.
- n. 2
A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body.
The United States enacted a new round of sanctions against the apartheid regime of South Africa.
- n. 3
A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above.
- v. 1
To ratify; to make valid.
Related words
- Word family
- sanctioneer sanctioner
- Phrases
- pragmatic sanction
- Is a kind of
- penalty prohibition
Forms
- Plural
- sanctions → punishments, penalties, bans, censures…
- Past participle
- sanctioned
e.g. sanctioned → approved, authorized, abetted, ratified…
Example sentences
- ban Saudi Arabia will remove the ban on women driving.
- punishment In my family, the punishment for lying was severe.
- discipline Discipline is the most important part of success.
- censure I proposed a vote of censure on the government.
- approval This bill was sent to the Senate for its approval.
- approbation She liked him too little to care for his approbation.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| sanction | falling | |
| ban | steady | |
| punishment | steady | |
| discipline | steady | |
| censure | steady | |
| approval | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- ban1
- 4 letters
- okay2, seal1, doom1, abet2
- 5 letters
- leave1, allow2, favor2, taboo2
- 6 letters
- favour2, permit2, uphold2, affirm2, assent2, ratify3
- 7 letters
- penalty3, consent2, confirm2, warrant2, approve2, sustain2, boycott2, endorse2, empower3, embargo3, censure2
- 8 letters
- approval3, tolerate3, warranty3, legalize3, sanctify3, legalise, punition
- 9 letters
- authority4, establish3, clearance2, authorize3, authorise, accedence
- 10 letters
- punishment3, discipline3, correction3, imprimatur4, assentment, disendorse
- 11 letters
- affirmation4, countenance3, approbation4
- 12 letters
- ratification5, proscription3
- 13 letters
- authorization5, authorisation
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (okay2 = 2 syllables).