unsanctioned

adjective

un·​sanc·​tioned ˌən-ˈsaŋ(k)-shənd How to pronounce unsanctioned (audio)
Synonyms of unsanctionednext
: lacking effective or authoritative approval or consent : not sanctioned
an unsanctioned boxing match
… a solution unsanctioned by educated custom …Edward Finegan

Examples of unsanctioned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Now, CodeWall was doing this at McKinsey’s behest; this wasn’t an unsanctioned hack. Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026 Just outside City Hall last Saturday, hundreds of Iranian Americans poured into the streets to decry the start of an unsanctioned war. Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026 Onitsuka, whose group led Saturday’s rally, added that the American people are also enraged to have their tax dollars pay for an unjust and unsanctioned war that’s causing death and destruction as many struggle to survive in this country. La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 1 Mar. 2026 In 2015, regulators found unsanctioned blackjack tables in the back of a charity bingo hall that the nonprofit operated, the Chronicle reported. ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsanctioned

Word History

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unsanctioned was in 1785

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Cite this Entry

“Unsanctioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsanctioned. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.

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