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

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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

Through its Nemotron family of open-weight models and enterprise AI initiatives, the company is positioning itself as an enabler of customized AI rather than simply a chip supplier. — Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Technology that was designed to protect privacy had turned into an enabler of horrific abuse. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 July 2026

The answer is not to try to prohibit the activity; any effort to do so is just as unlikely to succeed as the technology and its enablers are likely to push the boundaries of the law. — John Nay, Fortune, 14 July 2026

American democracy will spend decades reckoning with the harm this administration and its enablers in Congress have done. — Oliver Adams Larkin, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 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