'approval-seeking' originates from the combination of 'approval' and 'seeking', where 'approval' meant 'the act of approving' and 'seeking' meant 'to look for or try to obtain'.

'approval' changed from the Old French word 'aprover' and 'seeking' from the Old English 'sēcan', eventually forming the modern English term 'approval-seeking'.

Initially, it meant 'looking for approval', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.