a. Worthy of being approved; meritorious. -- Ap*prov"a*ble*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

n. Approbation; sanction. [ 1913 Webster ]

A censor . . . without whose approval n&unr_; capital sentences are to be executed. Temple. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See Approbation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Approval. [ Archaic ] Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Approved p. pr. & vb. n. Approving. ] [ OE. aproven, appreven, to prove, OF. aprover, F. approuver, to approve, fr. L. approbare; ad + probare to esteem as good, approve, prove. See Prove, and cf. Approbate. ] 1. To show to be real or true; to prove. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Wouldst thou approve thy constancy? Approve
First thy obedience. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically. [ 1913 Webster ]

Opportunities to approve . . . worth. Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

He had approved himself a great warrior. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

'T is an old lesson; Time approves it true. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

His account . . . approves him a man of thought. Parkman. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To sanction officially; to ratify; to confirm; as, to approve the decision of a court-martial. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of; as, we approve the measured of the administration. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To make or show to be worthy of approbation or acceptance. [ 1913 Webster ]

The first care and concern must be to approve himself to God. Rogers. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This word, when it signifies to be pleased with, to think favorably (of), is often followed by of. [ 1913 Webster ]

They had not approved of the deposition of James. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

They approved of the political institutions. W. Black. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OF. aprouer; a (L. ad) + a form apparently derived fr. the pro, prod, in L. prodest it is useful or profitable, properly the preposition pro for. Cf. Improve. ] (Eng. Law) To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit; -- said esp. of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. So as to secure approbation; in an approved manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Obs. ] 1. Approbation. [ 1913 Webster ]

I did nothing without your approvement. Hayward. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Eng. Law) a confession of guilt by a prisoner charged with treason or felony, together with an accusation of his accomplish and a giving evidence against them in order to obtain his own pardon. The term is no longer in use; it corresponded to what is now known as turning king's (or queen's) evidence in England, and state's evidence in the United States. Burrill. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Old Eng. Law) Improvement of common lands, by inclosing and converting them to the uses of husbandry for the advantage of the lord of the manor. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See 2d Approve, v. t. ] (Eng. Law) A bailiff or steward; an agent. [ Obs. ] Jacobs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who approves. Formerly, one who made proof or trial. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An informer; an accuser. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Eng. Law) One who confesses a crime and accuses another. See 1st Approvement, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Expressing approbation; commending; as, an approving smile. -- Ap*prov"ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. Disapprobation; dislike; censure; adverse judgment. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Disapproved p. pr. & vb. n. Disapproving. ] [ Pref. dis- + approve: cf. F. déapprouver. Cf. Disapprobation. ] 1. To pass unfavorable judgment upon; to condemn by an act of the judgment; to regard as wrong, unsuitable, or inexpedient; to censure; as, to disapprove the conduct of others. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To refuse official approbation to; to disallow; to decline to sanction; as, the sentence of the court-martial was disapproved by the commander in chief. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This verb is often followed by of; as, to disapprove of an opinion, of such conduct. See Approve. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who disapproves. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. expressing disapproval. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In a disapproving manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Approving one's own action or character by one's own judgment. [ 1913 Webster ]

One self-approving hour whole years outweighs
Of stupid starers and of loud huzzas. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Not approved. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not proved. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]