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license

verb
variants: also licence

Synonyms and Antonyms of license

to give official or legal power to

  • a state statute licenses county sheriffs to choose their own deputies
Synonyms of license

accredit, authorize, certify, charter [British], commission, empower, enable, invest, qualify, vest, warrant
Words Related to license

approve, clear, credential, endorse (also indorse), OK (or okay), sanction

affirm, confirm, validate

inaugurate, induct, initiate, install, instate, swear in

allow, let, permit

enfranchise, entitle, privilege
Near Antonyms of license

ban, bar, block, constrain, deny, disallow, disbar, discourage, disenfranchise, disfranchise, exclude, hinder, hold back, impede, inhibit, obstruct, prevent, shut out, stop

enjoin, forbid, interdict, outlaw, prohibit, proscribe, veto
Antonyms of license

disqualify

license

noun
variants: or licence

Synonyms and Antonyms of license

1 the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something

  • the company is seeking license to operate several more power plants in the state
Synonyms of license

allowance, authorization, clearance, concurrence, consent, granting, green light, leave, permission, sanction, sufferance, warrant
Words Related to license

imprimatur, seal, signature, stamp

accreditation, certification

liberty, pass

concession, patent, permit

tolerance, toleration

acceptance, acquiescence, agreement, assent, OK (or okay)

accord, grant
Near Antonyms of license

denial, refusal, rejection, revocation

taboo (also tabu)

injunction, veto

deterrence, discouragement, repression, suppression

ban, embargo, exclusion
Antonyms of license

interdiction, prohibition, proscription

2 the granting of power to perform various acts or duties

  • a restaurant owner has to get a license to serve food and drink
Synonyms of license

accreditation, authorization, commission, delegation, empowerment, mandate
Words Related to license

commendation, consignment, entrustment

facilitation, fostering, promotion

commanding, directing, ordering

3 the right to act or move freely

  • military commanders on the ground must be granted considerable license, as wars cannot be micromanaged by people back in Washington
Synonyms of license

authorization, free hand, freedom, latitude, run
Words Related to license

authority, clutch, command, control, dominion, grip, hold, mandate, mastery, power, sway

range, room, space

blank check, carte blanche

Synonym Discussion of license

freedom, liberty, license mean the power or condition of acting without compulsion. freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated.
    • freedom of the press
liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.
    • the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty
license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom.
    • freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license

Learn More about license

  1. Dictionary: Definition of license Medical Dictionary: Definition of license Spanish Central: Translation of license Nglish: Translation of license for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of license for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about license

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