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 of empowerment

• mandate
• accreditation

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

And women are now so exhausted by dating apps that, as Jones said, sending the first message felt more like a burden than empowerment to many. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026

The film profiles real women from all over the world and addresses issues of underlying gender roles, class hierarchy, and female empowerment. — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026

As executed, the 2019 show is an emotional yet refreshingly unsentimental black comedy that snickers in the face of empowerment buzzwords like, well, healing journey. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Huerta has advocated for labor rights, civil rights and women’s empowerment for over six decades. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for empowerment

• disempowerment