Skip to main content
approval

approval

342 1.6
Official permission to do something from a person or group in charge
  • noun
  • /əˈpruːvəl/
  • Formal
: aprobación
  • "The owner must obtain written approval to make material changes to property.
  • require approval
  • obtain approval
  • grant approval

OK, in terms of FDA approval, it hasn't happened yet.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Shortly thereafter they got approval to buy new jets.

  • The term of the project is 30 years, and congressional approval was issued in three months.

    Academic text (1999)
  • A week was all we could get approval for.

  • I got the approval from Donald Trump.

  • We are waiting for regulatory approval, you know?

  • Most of us need to get approval from our neighbors...

  • So FDA has granted them approval to market this thing.

  • University and district internal review board approval was obtained prior to initiating the study.

    Academic text (2011)
  • They've gotten approval from the FDA to sell this stuff.

  • Before starting the project, we need to secure official approval from the city's planning department.

Synonyms

permission
vsapproval
842 1.0

Official approval that lets you do something

is the general official agreement rather than the state of being allowed
permit
vsapproval
317 2.1

An official paper that lets someone do something

is the agreement concept not the physical document that proves it
consent
vsapproval
  • Formal
303 3.2

Permission for something to happen, often given in writing

is the official agreement often set by rules or official bodies
authorization
vsapproval
  • US
102 4.4

Official permission to do something

is the official agreement without stressing legal power
blessing
vsapproval
81 2.5

Formal approval from a person in charge to allow something

is the official agreement rather than general supportive encouragement
authority
vsapproval
21 3.1

Official permission to do something

is the formal agreement itself not the issuing body
OK
vsapproval
16 1.0

Permission from a person in charge to start something

is the formal agreement that supports that brief go-ahead
seal of approval
vsapproval
13 3.9

An official stamp shows a person in charge thinks something is good

is the actual formal agreement rather than its sign or mark
sanction
vsapproval
  • Formal
11 5.7

Official permission from an authority to do something

is the standard official agreement without emphasizing high-level backing
stamp of approval
vsapproval
10 3.4

An official sign that shows someone agrees with something

is the real formal agreement not only an external sign
verbal approval
vsapproval
1 3.5

Spoken agreement that allows someone to do something

is the official agreement itself not defined by its spoken form

Antonyms

45 3.0

A feeling that shows you do not agree with someone or what they do

Idioms

1 4.4

Customers can try goods and return them if not liked

Compounds

approval rating
  • Literature
65 2.7

The share of people in polls who say they support a person, group, or idea

An official stamp shows a person in charge thinks something is good

An official sign that shows someone agrees with something

patent approval
  • Specialized
1 4.5

Permission from a government office to use or sell an invention

loan approval
  • Formal
1 2.9

Official permission from a bank or lender to borrow money

A silent permission for someone to do something wrong

Spoken agreement that allows someone to do something

How Authorized

ratification
  • Formal
21 7.0
authorization
  • Formal
36 4.1
approval
  • Formal
342 1.6
rejection
182 3.0

Surface Forms

approval singular
approvals plural

Morphology

approval = approve (transparent) = approve + al

The noun 'approval' is transparently derived from the verb 'approve' by adding the suffix '-al'.

Etymology

Approval comes from the Latin parts ad- ('to') and probare ('to test' or 'to prove'), the same root behind proof and prove. A helpful way to remember this sense is to think of approval as an official 'okay' given after something has been checked. So, approval here means official agreement or permission.