sanction
SANK-shun
/ˈsæŋkʃən/
A threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule; or, official permission or approval for an action.
In sports, it almost always refers to a penalty (like a ban) or the official 'blessing' of an event by a governing body.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'sanctus', meaning 'holy'. Originally, a sanction was a law that was made 'holy' or 'inviolable' by a religious decree. If you broke it, you were punished by the gods.
Word relationships
- penalty: Focuses purely on the punishment aspect.
- authorization: Focuses purely on the approval aspect.
- prohibition: The act of forbidding something (opposite of the 'approval' sense).
Commonly confused with
- veto: A veto is a refusal to allow; a sanction can be an allowance or a punishment.
Word family
- sanctity (noun): The state or quality of being holy.
Collocations
- impose sanctions
- economic sanctions
- official sanction
Example sentences
- "The international body imposed a heavy sanction on the athlete for using banned substances." Penalty for doping.
- "The tournament was not sanctioned by the official league, so the results didn't count for the rankings." Official approval.
Memory hook
A SANCTION can be a SANK-ing (sinking) feeling of a penalty. Penalty or Permission.
When not to use
Be careful! This is an auto-antonym. Context is vital to know if you mean 'punish' or 'allow'.
Fun facts
- Sanction is one of the few words in English that is its own opposite (a contronym).
Related words
Also appears in
- Communication → Agreements & Affirmations
- Business → Globalization & Trade
- Law → International Law & Treaties
- Political Science & Governance → Geopolitics & International Relations
- Political Science & Governance → State Sovereignty & Statecraft
- Economic Theory & Analysis → International Trade & Tariffs
- Education & Pedagogy → Discipline & Classroom Management
- Political Science & Governance → Diplomacy & Foreign Policy
- Sociology & Social Anthropology → Social Deviance & Conformity
- Student Life & Schooling → Academic Integrity & Cheating
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Refereeing & Officiating
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.