sanction mark
C1Formal, official, political, legal, academic
Definition
Meaning
An official permission, approval, or authorization; OR an official penalty or punishment.
The word is a contranym, meaning it has two opposite core meanings: 1) to give official approval or permission for an action, and 2) to impose a penalty or restriction, especially by a state or international body, to coerce compliance.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Context is crucial for disambiguation. The 'penalty' sense is more frequent in modern political/news contexts. The 'approval' sense is common in institutional/legal contexts (e.g., 'sanctioned by the committee').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major difference in meaning. The 'penalty' sense is dominant in both varieties in political discourse.
Connotations
In both varieties, the word carries a strong connotation of formal, institutional authority, whether granting permission or imposing punishment.
Frequency
The 'penalty' sense is significantly more frequent in contemporary media in both BrE and AmE.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
sanction [something]sanction [someone] for [something][something] is sanctioned by [authority]impose sanctions on [country/entity]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “With the sanction of...”
- “Act under sanction of law”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
The merger required the sanction of the regulatory board. The company faces sanctions for violating trade rules.
Academic
The research was sanctioned by the ethics committee. The study examines the efficacy of economic sanctions as a foreign policy tool.
Everyday
I wouldn't do it without my parents' sanction. (Less common in everyday speech).
Technical
The UN Security Council voted to impose targeted sanctions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The committee sanctioned the use of the funds.
- The regime was sanctioned for human rights abuses.
American English
- The board sanctioned the new policy.
- The US sanctioned several officials for corruption.
adverb
British English
- The action was taken sanctioningly. (extremely rare/unnatural)
American English
- (No standard adverbial form in use)
adjective
British English
- It was a sanction-free event. (rare)
- Sanction-busting activities are illegal.
American English
- Sanctioned goods cannot be imported.
- They operated in a non-sanctioned manner.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The teacher gave her sanction for the class trip.
- The government may sanction companies that break the law.
- They needed official sanction to start the project.
- The international community imposed severe economic sanctions to deter further aggression.
- The experiment cannot proceed without the sanction of the ethics panel.
- The paradoxical nature of 'sanction' lies in its ability to mean both authorized and penalized, depending on the institutional context.
- Critics argue that unilateral sanctions often lack legitimacy and fail to achieve their geopolitical objectives.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a coin: HEADS = official APPROVAL (like a stamp), TAILS = official PENALTY (like a stop sign). The context tells you which side is up.
Conceptual Metaphor
AUTHORITY IS A SEAL (for approval); AUTHORITY IS A WEAPON/PRESSURE (for penalty).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'санкция', which in Russian is almost exclusively used for the 'penalty' sense. The 'approval' sense of the English word can be a false friend.
- The Russian word does not have the same contranym quality.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'sanction' to mean only 'punish' and forgetting the 'approve' meaning, leading to confusion in legal/formal texts.
- Using it in informal contexts where 'permission' or 'fine' would be more natural.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence does 'sanction' mean 'to approve'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is neutral but context-dependent. It can be positive (meaning 'approve') or negative (meaning 'penalize'). The authority behind the action is neutral.
In news and political contexts, the 'penalty/punishment' meaning (e.g., economic sanctions) is far more frequent. The 'approval' meaning is common in formal, legal, or institutional writing.
Provide clear context. For example, use 'give sanction to' or 'grant sanction' to imply approval, and 'impose sanctions on' or 'face sanctions' to imply penalty. If ambiguity remains, choose a clearer synonym.
Yes, commonly. It follows the same contranym pattern: 'The law sanctions (authorizes) this practice' vs. 'The court sanctioned (fined) the lawyer for misconduct.'