Sanction
Dean’s permissions and trade embargoes share one spelling with opposite meanings, and this contronym forces readers to let context decide every time.
Learn This WordMeaning
Approval, also a penalty.
Memory trick
SANCTION is sacred (sanct) law: holy approval for friends, holy punishment for foes.
Examples
The board gave its sanction.
Trade sanctions doubled the price of imported cheese within a month.
The principal’s sanction turned the terrace into an official stargazing deck.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin sanctio "a decree, sacred law." The same decree that blesses one side punishes the other: a true contronym.
Usage Notes
Classic contronym: official approval in one sentence, punitive penalty in the next. Context alone decides; SAT loves testing exactly this.
Real-life contexts
Use officially: "The event has the dean’s sanction."
Use in IR: "Sanctions squeezed the regime’s funds."
Use in quizzes: "Name the contronym: sanction."
Common Mistakes
Never guess the meaning without context: "sanctions were imposed" (penalty) vs "sanction was granted" (approval). As a verb it also means both to approve and to penalize.
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Start LearningQuick Facts
Part of Speech
noun
Difficulty
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