commendation vs approval

commendation and approval both are nouns.

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

As nouns, commendation and approval are synonyms defined as:

commendation (noun)	approval (noun)
an official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement	the formal act of approving
a message expressing a favorable opinion	a message expressing a favorable opinion
	a feeling of liking something or someone good
	acceptance as satisfactory