sanctioned

[ sangk-shuhnd ]

adjective

1. authorized, approved, or allowed:

   Locke's main argument was that unlimited accumulation of wealth was moral, religiously sanctioned, and logical.

2. officially or formally ratified or confirmed:

   The event is run exclusively in association with the National Franchise Association, so participating franchisees have all met the NFA-sanctioned code of ethics.

3. penalized, especially by way of discipline or to force compliance with legal obligations:

   The embargo had no real impact—but how often have we ever seen a sanctioned political leader say, “OK, I guess I’ll give in now”?

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of sanction.

Other Words From

• non·sanc·tioned adjective
• qua·si-sanc·tioned adjective
• un·sanc·tioned adjective
• well-sanc·tioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanctioned¹

sanction ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Representatives from The Onion told the New York Times that its bid was sanctioned by the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, who successfully sued Jones for $1.4 billion in a defamation lawsuit.

From Salon

On Friday, that dream will become a reality, in Netflix’s first live-streamed, professionally sanctioned boxing match.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2020, Rubio was sanctioned by the Chinese government after he pushed measures to punish the nation for its crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong.

From BBC

“So much money is involved that officials, including border guards, can be paid off. Sanctioned goods are bought and sold through digital networks and these online orders also make it into shops.”

From BBC

It was thrust into the spotlight again in August 2019, when the US treasury sanctioned Jammal Trust Bank, claiming, among other things, that it “knowingly facilitates the banking activities of US-designated entities openly affiliated with Hezbollah”, including AQAH.

From BBC

Related Words

• accepted
• allowed
• approved
• licensed
• permitted