as in official
ordered or allowed by those in authority
I cannot believe that this religious cult is a sanctioned student organization
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in approved
to give official acceptance of as satisfactory
the administration will sanction almost any field trip with educational value
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sanctioned
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
3 July 2026
The soccer-ball plan, by contrast, would be a sanctioned affair; Isaacman and Carlos García-Galán, manager of NASA's Moon Base program, are both behind it.
—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
1 July 2026
An investor can be legally clear to trade in Syria and still be one intermediary away from a sanctioned name.
—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Californians must purchase their fireworks from a sanctioned booth.
—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
29 June 2026
In Monday's announcement, the ministry said that companies or individuals in third countries are prohibited from transferring dual-use items from China to the sanctioned American firms.
—
ABC News,
21 June 2026
The Treasury Department recently fined a company that was co-owned by Sobachevskiy hundreds of millions of dollars for managing a different investment on behalf of a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
—
Justin Elliott,
ProPublica,
18 June 2026
Although quite a few movies have taken place against the whirl of the Cannes Film Festival, only a handful have been shot within sanctioned festival spaces — often because of artistic, logistical and financial constraints.
—
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
The Miami Open has hosted wheelchair tennis since 2024, but this year marks the first time top players will compete in a sanctioned tournament for official ranking and points.
—
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Nearly two years after closing a high-profile sanctioned homeless encampment, the city of Sacramento is now opening its own version.
—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sanctioned five Cuban companies, despite Havana’s attempts to liberalize.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
23 June 2026
Presumably, these songs would play at America’s Block Parties, officially sanctioned celebration zones in a few major cities on the Fourth of July weekend.
—
Christopher Hooks,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
Butler continued coaching thousands of girls through Sports Performance Volleyball and participating in events sanctioned by other organizations, including the AAU.
—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
22 June 2026
One site, which NPR visited in March after it was emptied out, could accommodate 20,000 workers, according to the UK government which sanctioned its owners later that month.
—
Shibani Mahtani,
NPR,
21 June 2026
Two Iran-flagged, National Iranian Tanker Company-owned, sanctioned crude oil tankers entered the strait, according to Lloyd’s List.
—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2026
Most of the new states mandated that officeholders be Protestant; many still had officially recognized churches, sanctioned by the government.
—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Adjective
Though authorities have provided no motive, Yermolaiev's status as a sanctioned former Ukrainian is notable.
—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
3 July 2026
The soccer-ball plan, by contrast, would be a sanctioned affair; Isaacman and Carlos García-Galán, manager of NASA's Moon Base program, are both behind it.
—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
1 July 2026
An investor can be legally clear to trade in Syria and still be one intermediary away from a sanctioned name.
—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Californians must purchase their fireworks from a sanctioned booth.
—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
29 June 2026
In Monday's announcement, the ministry said that companies or individuals in third countries are prohibited from transferring dual-use items from China to the sanctioned American firms.
—
ABC News,
21 June 2026
The Treasury Department recently fined a company that was co-owned by Sobachevskiy hundreds of millions of dollars for managing a different investment on behalf of a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
—
Justin Elliott,
ProPublica,
18 June 2026
Although quite a few movies have taken place against the whirl of the Cannes Film Festival, only a handful have been shot within sanctioned festival spaces — often because of artistic, logistical and financial constraints.
—
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
The Miami Open has hosted wheelchair tennis since 2024, but this year marks the first time top players will compete in a sanctioned tournament for official ranking and points.
—
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
This means empowering domain experts with low-code tools, seamlessly integrating diverse AI models and data sources, and establishing traceable, sanctioned AI paths to manage unsanctioned use.
—
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Nearly two years after closing a high-profile sanctioned homeless encampment, the city of Sacramento is now opening its own version.
—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sanctioned five Cuban companies, despite Havana’s attempts to liberalize.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
23 June 2026
Presumably, these songs would play at America’s Block Parties, officially sanctioned celebration zones in a few major cities on the Fourth of July weekend.
—
Christopher Hooks,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
Butler continued coaching thousands of girls through Sports Performance Volleyball and participating in events sanctioned by other organizations, including the AAU.
—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
22 June 2026
One site, which NPR visited in March after it was emptied out, could accommodate 20,000 workers, according to the UK government which sanctioned its owners later that month.
—
Shibani Mahtani,
NPR,
21 June 2026
Two Iran-flagged, National Iranian Tanker Company-owned, sanctioned crude oil tankers entered the strait, according to Lloyd’s List.
—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2026
Most of the new states mandated that officeholders be Protestant; many still had officially recognized churches, sanctioned by the government.
—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctioned
Adjective
-
Members of Norway’s Parliament have even done it in their official chamber.
-
The country’s final authority on election matters, the National Jury of Elections (JNE), has yet to issue its official proclamation, according to Reuters.
Verb
-
During Thursday evening’s Board of Commissioners meeting, officials unanimously, and with no additional discussion, approved Johnston’s exit agreement and named Assistant County Administrator Alan Howze as his replacement for the rest of the year.
-
The celebration comes 250 years after delegates in Philadelphia approved the Declaration, setting in motion what would become the world's oldest continuing experiment in self-government.
Adjective
-
On Amazon, only buy when the listing is sold and shipped by the brand or an authorized seller.
-
Amazon is fine, but only when the listing is sold and shipped by the brand or an authorized seller.
Verb
-
The amendment was not ratified during the Civil War, but the efforts in both the North and South revealed how an existential political crisis pushed language of God into government.
-
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also ratified a local emergency proclamation as well to expand community support, environmental monitoring and business recovery assistance.
Verb
-
Although the panel date has not been confirmed, the members and the team behind the webcomic will be on it to chat about their upcoming plans.
-
Balogun wasn’t around to see the finish though, drawing a straight red card for stomping on the right ankle of Bosnian center back Tarik Muharemovic in the 61st minute, a foul Brazilian referee Raphael Claus confirmed via a video review.
Cite this Entry
“Sanctioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctioned. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
