enabler

noun

en·​abler i-ˈnā-b(ə-)lər 

: one that enables another to achieve an end

especially : one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (such as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by making it possible to avoid the consequences of such behavior

Did you know?

Enabling: The Behavior of an Enabler

Enable has a number of senses, most of which are some variant on allowing someone (or something, such as enabling cookies on a computer) to do something. In the past several decades, enable has also started to take on a new associated sense in the field of addiction studies, where enabling is viewed as giving misguided support to a person with some substance-abuse issue. A person who facilitates the self-destructive behavior of another is referred to as an enabler.

Examples of enabler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the face of such widespread public revulsion, the administration and its enablers have been trying to invent a terrorist threat to justify their increasingly unpopular siege of Minneapolis. —Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026

At the core of this discussion, according to Baker, is the view that transparency functions as a practical enabler of clearer decision-making and stronger organizational alignment, rather than a symbolic gesture. —Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026

Finally, infrastructure enablers deserve attention. —Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026

Trump’s acolytes and enablers have adopted this line, seemingly as a matter of reflex. —Eric Lutz, Vanity Fair, 8 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for enabler

• abler
• glabellar
• stabler

Medical Definition

enabler

noun

en·​abler i-ˈnā-b(ə-)lər 

: one that enables another to achieve an end

especially : one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by helping that individual avoid the consequences of such behavior