Showing results for "sanctioned"

• past participle of sanction.
• past tense form of sanction.

sanctioned

American  

[sangk-shuhnd] / ˈsæŋk ʃənd /

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”?

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of sanctioned

sanction ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If something’s sanctioned it’s officially approved. Now that your mom has finally come around, watching football with your friends on Sunday is a sanctioned ritual. When something’s sanctioned, it’s been approved by an authority, like your mom or your school, or it follows established rules or traditions. Eating ham on Easter might be a sanctioned tradition in your family. The word can also be used to say that something has been approved or authorized in a legal sense. You may read about a sanctioned treaty that has been signed by all members of the United Nations.

Example Sentences

Sanctioned by Washington since 2019, Venezuela sits on about a fifth of the world's oil reserves and was once a major crude supplier to the United States.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

Sanctioned for allegedly shipping oil to U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, the Bella 1 made an unusual move last weekend, executing a U-turn, refusing to be boarded and racing away from Venezuela at full speed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 25, 2025

Sanctioned countries offer their oil at steep discounts so that companies or nations are willing to take the risk of buying it whilst applying tricks to disguise its origin.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

Sanctioned in 2018 and again this year, Vekselberg had two U.S. properties raided in September and a yacht seized in April by authorities who said he had committed money laundering and bank fraud.

From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2022

When that great struggle held the world in awe, And all the nations blanched at what they saw, Did Sanctioned Slavery bow its conquered head That this unsanctioned crime might rise instead?

From The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Howells, William Dean

Related Words

• accepted
• allowed
• approved
• licensed
• permitted