approval

1. 1.

   the formal act of approving

   “he gave the project his blessing”

   “his decision merited the approval of any sensible person”

   Synonymsblessingapproving

   Antonymsdisapproval

   Broadersupport

   Narroweradoptionbackingadmirationreward
2. 2.

   a feeling of liking something or someone good

   “although she fussed at them, she secretly viewed all her children with approval”

   Antonymsdisapproval

   Broaderliking

   Narrowerfavorapprobation
3. 3.

   acceptance as satisfactory

   “he bought it on approval”

   Synonymsfavorable receptionfavourable reception

   Broaderacceptance

   Narrowerappro
4. 4.

   a message expressing a favorable opinion

   “words of approval seldom passed his lips”

   Synonymscommendation

   Antonymsdisapproval

   Broadermessage

   Narrowerapprobationsanctionrecognitionconnivancepermissionencouragementacclaimapplausecheerpraise

Other forms of approval

plural

approvals·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about approval

What does approval mean?

approval means "the formal act of approving". That is the primary sense; the word has 4 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in approval?

approval has 3 syllables: ap-pro-val. The stress falls on "pro". In IPA it is /əˈpɹuvəl/.

What is another word for approval?

Close synonyms include blessing, approving, favorable reception, favourable reception, commendation. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of approval?

The recorded antonyms are disapproval, disapproval, disapproval.

Is approval a common word?

approval is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

What rhymes with approval?

1 word rhymes with approval. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.