approbation vs commendation

approbation and commendation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
approbation	Yes	No	No	No
commendation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, commendation is a hypernym of approbation; that is, commendation is a word with a broader meaning than approbation:

Other hypernyms of approbation include approval.

approbation (noun)	commendation (noun)
official recognition or approval	an official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement
official approval	a message expressing a favorable opinion