Two of the words, Approve and Authorize, are both verbs. As similar as they might sound, they also have a similar meaning. Both words refer to agreeing with an action or item.
Nevertheless, due o their similar meaning, they are sometimes used in each other’s place. But both the terms have their required places to be used for.
Key Takeaways
- Approval is the act of agreeing or consenting to a decision, while authorization is the act of granting permission or power to act.
- Approving a request means accepting its validity, while authorizing it means giving someone the right to act.
- Approval precedes authorization, as authorization requires prior approval.
Approve vs Authorize
The difference between Approve and Authorize is that Approve indicates to formally affirm, ratify, or authorize something, as well as to laud or view something as good, it’s a way of expressing approval of a good or pleasant thing or activity, whereas ‘Authorize,’ means to provide permission for, transfer authority to, or allow. It is a purposeful transfer of power to some other individual or activity to promote favourable efforts, in addition to being an affirmative phrase.
Approve means to affirm, ratify, or sanction something formally or to promote or view something as excellent. It’s a way of expressing approval of a good or pleasant thing or activity.
Approving doesn’t necessarily mean to transfer of power. The word is mostly used to signify the agreement or acceptance by someone whose opinion has weightage.
Authorize implies giving permission to, transferring authority to, or passing. It is a constructive transfer of power to some other individual or activity to accomplish favourable efforts, in addition to being an affirmative phrase.
Authorization is an action that controls and sets up or supports responsibility in company choices by combining signatory or authorization code criteria.
Comparison Table
| Parameters Of Comparison | Approve | Authorize |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Approve implies formally affirming something. | Authorize means to laud or view something as good. |
| Co-relation | The approver and the person who is being approved need not need to work closely. | The authorizer and the person who is being authorized shall work closely together. |
| Function | Approval is an act of acceptance. | Authorize is an act of acceptance which upholds a lot of power. |
| Power | Approval doesn’t represent a position of power. | Authorize represents a position of power. |
| Tone of conversation | The term is used for casual conversation | The term is mostly used for official conversations. |
What is Approve?
To approve implies to affirm, ratify, or sanction something formally or to promote or view something as excellent. It’s a way of expressing approval of a good or pleasant thing or activity.
Employees in most small firms are unable to arrive early or remain late, use a holiday off, acquire things via a purchase agreement, or settle an invoice only if the requested or act has been approved by their superior.
Getting Approval is an important aspect of task division and an important internal regulatory system. This safeguard ensures that no one employee is really in a position to simultaneously execute and conceal immoral or unlawful behaviour.
With the absence of the process of approval, a brand or any workplace can face low-quality work, or due to workload, and pressure, people will not be patient with the work to meet the deadlines.
Furthermore, the approver seems to have no strong correlation to the subject. To approve is to recognize or laud something. The word ‘approve’ is just a way of agreeing with a pleasant item.
Approval is a statement made by a third party who is not involved in the situation.
What is Authorize?
In British English, the word authorize implies to give permission to, transfer authority to, or pass. The word can be written in two ways- one being spelt as authorize, and another can be spelt as authorize.
It is a constructive transfer of power to some other individual or activity to accomplish favourable efforts, in addition to being an affirmative phrase.
In essence, ‘authorize’ has a second layer — it both allows and enables someone to do what one has been given permission to do. It has a more authoritative tone than the word “approve.”
When using the word ‘authorize,’ the authorizer and the person who is being authorized shall work closely together. The former expands his structural capacity and his influence on the latter, allowing the authorizer to strengthen what he approves.
Only a few persons have the authority to accept or refuse an employee request as it passes through the authorization. Authorization is an action that controls and sets up or supports responsibility in company choices by combining signatory or authorization code criteria.
Main Differences Between Approve and Authorize
- The approver and the person being approved need not need to work closely, while the authorizer and the person being authorized shall work closely together.
- Approval is an act of acceptance, while Authorize is an act of acceptance which upholds a lot of power.
- Approve implies formally affirming something, whereas Authorize means to laud or view something as good.
- Approval doesn’t represent a position of power, whereas Authorize represents a position of power.
- Approve is used for casual conversations, but Authorize is mostly used for official conversations.
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thierry-Edoh/publication/275043430_Drafting_of_a_Table_Guidance_on_OFF_LABEL_USE_for_the_ICH_-_Data_Driven_Drug_Development_and_Marketing_Authorization/links/553d11700cf245bdd76a4cdd/Drafting-of-a-Table-Guidance-on-OFF-LABEL-USE-for-the-ICH-Data-Driven-Drug-Development-and-Marketing-Authorization.pdf
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/991530
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
The systematic process of approval is necessary in any organization to prevent potential unethical or illegal behavior.
The act of approving and the act of authorizing are both important parts of the internal regulatory framework of a company.
As the authorizer and the person being authorized must work closely together, it is important to clarify the role of both parties in the process.
The use of the word ‘approve’ is very interesting as it is simply a way of agreeing with a pleasant item, while ‘authorize’ carries with it more authoritative tone.
Each decision has a chain of command, and the approval and authorization stages are crucial at ensuring that defined policies and regulations are followed correctly.
Approval and authorization are two very distinct stages that require different levels of power and formality, as previously stated.
The differences between approving and authorizing are very clear, and it’s interesting to note how they are employed in both casual and official conversations.
Both approval and authorization are crucial steps in the decision-making process, especially within an organizational structure.