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 Word Forms

• nonsanctioned adjective
• quasi-sanctioned adjective
• unsanctioned adjective
• well-sanctioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanctioned¹

sanction ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Malaysia is set to play against Laos in another Asian Cup qualifier this week - though the Malaysian team's line-up will look much different without the sanctioned players.

From BBC

Kerimov was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 and labeled a “specially designated national” for his alleged role in money laundering related to the purchase of French villas.

From Los Angeles Times

Sir Jim told them Ms Booth could continue her surgical career because she had not been sanctioned by the GMC or by an internal HR investigation.

From BBC

With a sanctioned strength of 160 that experts say has never been completely filled, the court is severely understaffed.

From BBC

County prosecutors had charged that Landa-Rodriguez, while incarcerated in a federal penitentiary for illegally reentering the country, sanctioned the killing of a rival’s underling.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accepted 
• allowed 
• approved www.thesaurus.com
• licensed www.thesaurus.com
• permitted