List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 18

SYNONYMS: approve, endorse, sanction, certify, accredit, ratify.
These verbs mean to express a favorable opinion or to signify satisfaction or acceptance.

Though approve, the most widely applicable, often means simply to consider right or good: (I knew my parents wouldn't approve of what I had done), it can also denote official consent: The colonel or commanding officer approves the sentence of a regimental court-martial.
Endorse implies the expression of support, often by public statement: The senator will give a speech endorsing her party's gubernatorial candidate.
Sanction usually implies not only approval (Public opinion ought not to sanction the use of force) but also official authorization (The privilege of voting is a right sanctioned by law).
Certify and accredit imply official approval based on compliance with requirements or standards: The proper officers, comparing every article with its voucher, certified them to be right. The board of higher education will accredit only those institutions offering a sufficiently rigorous curriculum.
To ratify is to invest with legal authority by giving official sanction: "Amendments . . . shall be valid . . . when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States" (U.S. Constitution, Article V).