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sanction

SANK-shun /ˈsæŋkʃən/

nounverbC1GREGMATUPSCCAT

formallegalacademic

A threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule; OR official permission or approval for an action.

A contronym (word with opposite meanings). In student conduct contexts, it almost exclusively refers to disciplinary penalties.

The story behind the word. From Latin 'sanctio', referring to a law made inviolable by decree. Historically, it specified both what was holy/permitted and the curse or penalty for violating that holiness, giving rise to its modern double meaning.

Word relationships

penalty: Penalty focuses strictly on punishment, whereas sanction can also mean formal legal ratification depending on context.
punishment: Punishment is a general term, whereas sanction is formal and regulatory.

reward: A reward compensates good behavior, unlike a punitive sanction.
pardon: A pardon forgives an infraction and cancels any imposed sanction.

Commonly confused with

sanctuary: Sanctuary is a place of safety or refuge, while sanction is a penalty or formal approval.

Word family

sanctioned (adjective): Authorized or penalized depending on context.

Collocations

impose sanctions
disciplinary sanction
academic sanction
subject to sanctions

Idioms & expressions

crack down on

Example sentences

"Appropriate academic sanctions for plagiarism range from a zero on the assignment to full expulsion." University Discipline
"The ethics board applied strict sanctions after discovering deliberate falsification of research logs." Ethics Board

Memory hook

SANCTION can punish a SIN or grant a SAINT permission. Decree of penalty or permission

When not to use

Avoid ambiguity; make clear from context whether you mean 'penalty' or 'official approval'.

Fun facts

'Sanction' is one of English's most famous contronyms — it can mean both 'to penalize' and 'to permit'.