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

Choose a provider that makes security an enabler, not a bottleneck. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Your rights now depend on the grievances of one petulant old man and his shameless enablers. —Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025

Read more Pope’s new saint: Hispanic founding father or enabler of Indian deaths? —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025

However, final artistic decisions always remain in the hands of musicians, reinforcing AI’s role as an enabler rather than a substitute for human creativity. —Rowan Briggs, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025

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