as in freeing
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
in a way, modern labor-saving appliances enfranchised people, giving them much more leisure time
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Recent Examples of enfranchising
The Radical Republican Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, as Michael Waldman writes in The Fight to Vote, was even blunter than Sumner about the necessity of enfranchising Black men.
—
Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enfranchising
Verb
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That meant that Baker & Taylor took on some of these tasks, helping to speed up the process and freeing staff members to do other work.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
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But that moment in the sun came crashing down when the Russian tanks rolled into Prague in 1968, and while Karlovy Vary endured, its return to splendor was delayed until 1989, when the Iron Curtain fell, freeing the region from Moscow rules.—
Steven Gaydos,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Georgacopoulos has made a career out of liberating pearls from their classical, somewhat staid image.—
Kate Matthams,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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The conflict looms large over the film’s Kosovar Albanian teens — as does institutionalized discrimination against them — but Basholli’s intentionally blinkered focus, through the eyes of her 13-year-old protagonist, proves constraining and liberating all at once.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Rip’s save-the-cat moment is rescuing that cute little calf.—
William Earl,
Variety,
15 May 2026
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Over 25 Miami-Dade fire crews aided in rescuing the injured, finding some of the 11 in the water.—
Miami Herald,
Sun Sentinel,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Within hours of Ben-Gvir releasing the videos, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands had summoned Israel’s ambassadors to seek an explanation for the treatment of their citizens.—
Nick Duffy,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
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Levi’s went on a prolific streak of collaborations by releasing three collections with Nike and Jordan Brand from last July through January, and during that time and onward denim has been popping up on loads more in-line releases under the Nike umbrella.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Verb
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After mutual suspicion, the two arrived at a reluctant truce in which Paul was free to bring non-Jews into the Jesus movement, emancipating them from Jewish ritual, while the original Jerusalem circle continued to keep kosher, circumcise, and all the rest.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But state lawmakers can finally pass this legislation, and start saving families tax dollars while protecting our health and our environment.—
Justin Sanchez,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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The actually unspeakable bit is whether women’s access to education and the job market should be restricted, in the name of producing more babies and saving civilization.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enfranchising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfranchising. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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