empowerment

noun

em·​pow·​er·​ment im-ˈpau̇(-ə)r-mənt 

plural empowerments

1

: the act or action of empowering someone or something : the granting of the power, right, or authority to perform various acts or duties

Malcolm X, the eloquent spokesman for black empowerment who, in 1965, was gunned down at the age of 39 in New York city, continues to influence the political, social, and cultural climate of our society.

—Joe Wood

Therefore, part of the cure for poverty was empowerment—training the residents of a poor neighborhood to organize themselves and learn to get things from the power structure.

—Nicholas Lemann

2

: the state of being empowered to do something : the power, right, or authority to do something

Education does not automatically result in women's empowerment, as the social and economic context in which women live can pose overwhelming constraints on their choices.

—Erin Murphy-Graham

The focus on getting a candidate elected is a way for voters wary of broken promises to gain a sense of empowerment.

—John Dutton

Amid the uproar, he and his fellow students felt a budding—and maybe false—sense of empowerment.

—James Graff

Like John Lennon, he brought the idea that through music, empowerment and words, you can really come up with world peace.

—Wyclef Jean

Synonyms

• accreditation
• authorization
• commission
• delegation
• license
• licence
• mandate

Examples of empowerment in a Sentence

the empowerment of her husband to make medical decisions on her behalf is clearly stated in her living will

Recent Examples on the Web

Shifting the narrative from helplessness to collective empowerment and action can help people confront climate change without triggering the existential anxieties that lead to denial – offering a vision for a future that is both secure and personally meaningful. —Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024

Wealthy women often use their financial power to mentor and sponsor the next generation, creating a cycle of empowerment. —Melissa Houston, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Nasrallah, the son of a vegetable street vendor, was seen by poor Shiites in Lebanon as a symbol of empowerment against both Israel’s and Lebanon’s other religious and ethnic communities. —Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024

Guillory's switch to the GOP was driven by his conviction that Democrats have failed, particularly in the Black community, by fostering government dependency instead of empowerment. —Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 2