approbation

American  

[ap-ruh-bey-shuhn] / ˌæp rəˈbeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. approval; commendation.

2. official approval or sanction.

3. Obsolete. conclusive proof.

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approbation British  

/ ˌæprəˈbeɪʃən /

noun

1. commendation; praise

2. official recognition or approval

3. an obsolete word for proof

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Other Word Forms

• approbative adjective
• preapprobation noun
• self-approbation noun
• subapprobation noun

Etymology

Origin of approbation

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin approbātiōn- (stem of approbātiō ). See approbate, -ion

Example Sentences

It later came out that National City’s efforts to lend money on stocks had the Federal Reserve’s internal approbation, not its opposition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

He'll do a lot of damage before he's finished — but he will never get the popular approbation he craves, now or in the future.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2025

It’s associated with pleasure and the expectation or experience of a reward, which can include the surmounting of a threat “such as overcoming fear, winning a race, receiving respect and approbation from others,” Spiegel says.

From National Geographic • Oct. 16, 2023

“Fame is wanting to have social approbation and we wanted to say that everything serves fame in the public sphere right now,” Ms. Fulton Brown said.

From Washington Times • Oct. 1, 2021

I didn’t expect or even need, now, his approbation.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou