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

How much profit will accrue to the enablers versus the customer-facing companies? —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025

The administration is framing the sanctions as striking at Maduro’s enablers in Venezuela. —Laura Kelly, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2025

Advertisement Jae-oh, who has emerged as Ah-jin’s most loyal enabler, decides to give his life for Ah-jin. —Kayti Burt, Time, 4 Dec. 2025

Going beyond individual supplier relationships, cross-industry collaboration is emerging as an enabler of supply chain decarbonization, too. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 26 Nov. 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