Meaning & use
approved
Last updated
“approved” is a form of “approve”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Officially accepted as suitable, correct or allowed by someone with authority.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: an approved list; after a verb it often becomes a passive: the plan was approved.
Patterns
- an approved something
- approved by someone
Only approved vendors may sell food at the stadium.
The approved budget includes money for a new playground.
Use an approved car seat for any child under eight.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past form of approve: agreed that something is acceptable or good, or officially said yes to it.
Grammar: Takes an object when giving permission (approved the plan) and of when showing a favorable opinion (approved of her choice).
Patterns
- approve something
- approve of something
The council approved the new bridge on Tuesday.
His parents never approved of his choice of friends.
The committee approved the changes without discussion.
Word forms
| base form | approve |
|---|---|
| third person singular | approves |
| present participle | approving |
Common combinations
- officially approved
- The design was officially approved last week.
- approved by
- The medicine has been approved by the health agency.
- approved list
- Your school must be on the approved list.
- unanimously approved
- The proposal was unanimously approved.
- approved of
- My grandmother approved of the match.
Synonyms and how they differ
- authorized
- Authorized means someone with power has given permission, and it is common for people and actions, while approved can also refer to quality.
- sanctioned
- Sanctioned is more formal and can even mean punished, depending on context, so approved is clearer.
- accepted
- Accepted means taken or agreed to, but not always by a formal authority.
- endorsed
- Endorsed means publicly supported, often by a famous person or group.
Opposites
Word family
- approve verb
- to say yes to, or to think something is good
- approval noun
- official permission, or a favorable opinion
- approving adjective
- showing that you think something is good
- disapprove verb
- to think something is wrong or bad
- unapproved adjective
- not officially accepted
Commonly confused: approved or proved? approved or improved?
approved vs proved
Proved means shown to be true, while approved means officially accepted or considered good.
approved vs improved
Improved means made better, but approved means accepted.
Practice
The new drug was finally ___ by the health authority after three years of testing.
Choose one answer.
Approved by means given official permission. Approached means came near, appraised means evaluated the value of, and applied means put on or requested; none fit with by the authority.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “approved”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.