sanction

/ˈsæŋkʃən/ formal

Say it: SANK-shun

1. noun A threatened penalty, usually economic or diplomatic, for disobeying a law or rule, especially one imposed by one country on another.
The United Nations imposed strict economic sanctions on the regime to halt its nuclear program.
2. noun Official permission or approval for an action.
The new building plan has the sanction of the city council.
3. verb To impose a penalty on a state, organization, or person for a violation.
The court will sanction the company for failing to comply with environmental regulations.
4. verb To give official permission or approval for something.
The committee refused to sanction the risky new procedure.

📖 Seen in the wild

The international community imposed economic sanctions on the rogue nation.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ sanction in a sentence

Several nations are calling for the immediate lifting of sanctions.
His behavior, while unprofessional, was not serious enough to sanction.
The book was published without the author's official sanction.
The government has sanctioned the use of force to restore order.
The league sanctioned the player with a five-game suspension for the illegal hit.
Religious tradition often sanctions certain customs that have been practiced for centuries.
The threat of further sanctions did little to change the country's foreign policy.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

penalty punishment authorization permission embargo ban endorsement approval ratification

penalty · a more general term for any punishment, not necessarily official or diplomatic.

punishment · often implies a moral judgment of wrongdoing, whereas 'sanction' can be more procedural.

authorization · suggests permission granted by a specific authority with the power to do so.

permission · a more general and less formal term for approval.

Opposites: reward, incentive, prohibition, ban, veto

🌱 Where it comes from

The word 'sanction' traces to the Latin 'sancire', meaning 'to make holy' or 'to bind by decree'. This root gave rise to 'sanctio', an act of binding someone to a law. This dual nature of 'binding' is the source of the word's opposite meanings: it can refer to the approval that makes a law valid, or the penalty that binds people to obey it.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

impose sanctionslift sanctionseconomic sanctionsgive sanction toseek the sanction ofwithout official sanction

'Sanction' is a contronym, a word with opposite meanings. This can cause serious confusion. Context is everything: pay close attention to the surrounding words, especially prepositions. 'Sanctions against' a country clearly means a penalty, while 'sanction for' a project means approval. Because of this ambiguity, in casual speech it's often clearer to use 'penalty' or 'approval' instead.

Word family: sanctionable, sanctioner

💬 Quick answers

What does the word 'sanction' mean?

It has two opposite meanings. It can mean either a penalty for breaking a rule (like 'economic sanctions') or official permission for an action (like 'the plan has my sanction').

Is 'sanction' a positive or negative word?

It can be either, depending on the context. Imposing a sanction on a country is negative, while giving sanction to a project is positive.

What is the difference between a sanction and an embargo?

An embargo, which is a ban on trade, is one specific type of sanction. The word 'sanction' is a broader term for any penalty, which could also include travel bans or asset freezes.

How can one word have opposite meanings?

Words like this are called contronyms. 'Sanction' comes from a Latin root for making something legally binding, which can refer to both the rule itself (the approval) and the penalty that enforces it.

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