What does approved mean?
"Approved" is an adjective describing something that has been formally accepted, sanctioned, or authorized by a person or body with the power to decide. When a product is approved, a request is approved, or a candidate is approved, it means a relevant authority has examined it and judged it fit to proceed. The word appears constantly in administrative, legal, medical, and financial contexts — think of approved budgets, approved suppliers, or approved medications — where it functions as a marker of legitimacy and safety. Its connotation is one of permission rather than praise: something approved has cleared a hurdle, though it may not be celebrated. The word derives from the verb "approve," which ultimately comes from the Latin probare, meaning to test or prove worthy. Because so much modern life runs on formal sign-offs, "approved" is a small but essential word for understanding how institutions grant permission and confer validity.
Officially accepted, sanctioned, or authorized by a competent authority.
"The building plans were approved by the city council last week."
Often used attributively before nouns (an approved supplier) or predicatively (the drug is approved).
Past participle of "approve": to have given formal consent or agreement to something.
"The committee approved the budget after a lengthy discussion."
In this form it typically appears in perfect tenses (has approved) or passive constructions (was approved).
The word "approved" traces back to the Latin probare — to test and find good — the same root that gives us "probe" and "probation."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of approved
"Approved" comes from the verb "approve," which English adopted in the late Middle Ages from Old French "approuver," itself derived from the Latin approbare, meaning to confirm or commend as good. The Latin root is probare, "to test, prove, or judge worthy," which also underlies words such as "prove," "probation," and "probe." Over time, "approved" settled into use as both the past participle of "approve" and, more commonly today, as an adjective in its own right describing things that have been formally sanctioned.
Related word forms
How approved is actually used
"Approved" is most often used in official, legal, medical, and administrative contexts, where it signals that a recognized authority has vetted something. It carries a neutral-to-positive connotation of legitimacy rather than enthusiasm; it implies permission, not necessarily praise. In everyday speech it can also describe informal acceptance (e.g. an approved plan among friends), but its core register is formal.
Easily confused with approved
"Approbation" is a noun meaning formal approval or praise, while "approved" is an adjective describing something that has been officially accepted.