三个单词均有批准同意的含义。其中，approval为通常用语，多用于指同意承担一任务等情况[1]。sanction较approval正式，一般用于正式行文中[2]，需要注意的是sanction同时又具有制裁的含义，故应当随时分清其用法。approbation为最正式的单词，常表示宗教意义上的权威性批准[3]。

[1]“Approval is the most general and least formal of these. In the official context, it usually means the giving of permission to undertake a task. ”Cf. The Editors of the Reader's Digest, Use the Right Word, at p. 19, The Reader's Digest Association Proprietary Ltd. (1971).

[2]“Explicit or official approval. ”Cf. The Publisher's Editorial Staff, Black's Law Dictionary，abridged 6th edition，at p. 442，West Publishing Co. (1991).

[3]“ Approbation, the most formal of these, refers to the giving of authoritative approval, especially in an ecclesiastical context. ”Cf. The Editors of the Reader's Digest, Use the Right Word, at p. 19, The Reader's Digest Association Proprietary Ltd. (1971).