enabler

[en-ey-bler]

noun

1. a person or thing that enables something, or makes it possible.

   Technology is a key enabler of efficiency and productivity.

2. a person who enables or supports someone else’s bad or dysfunctional behavior.

   His wife is an unwitting enabler who makes excuses for his drinking.

Word History and Origins

Origin of enabler¹

First recorded in 1610–20; 1975–80 enabler for def. 2

Example Sentences

Indeed, the lion’s share of the blame goes to Joe Biden and the coterie of enablers who encouraged him to run again.

From Los Angeles Times

Kallas had earlier this year called China the "key enabler of Russia's war" in Ukraine, adding that "if China would want to really stop the support, then it would have an impact".

From BBC

They cast their opponents as dangerous foreign-born criminals and their feckless enablers in the Democratic Party and mainstream media.

From Los Angeles Times

Gareth Sutcliffe and Ollie Meir, who authored the research, described the Amazon Fire Stick - which they argue is the device many people use to access illegal streams - as "a piracy enabler".

From BBC

"He's one of the giants of British media in the last generation, and I think he will be remembered as a maker of great programmes, as an enabler of great programmes."

From BBC

Related Words

• facilitator 

When To Use

What does enabler mean?

An enabler is someone who allows or makes it easier for someone to do what they shouldn’t. It’s especially used in the context of addiction and abuse.The verb enable is usually used in a positive or neutral way meaning to make possible or provide someone with the power, means, opportunity, or authority to do something.But the word enabler is almost always used in a critical way to refer to someone who allows, encourages, or makes it possible for another person to engage in behavior that’s harmful to others, such as abuse, or self-destructive, such as drug or alcohol abuse.For example, a parent who allows the other parent to abuse their children might be called an enabler.Example: He asked me to go out for one drink, but I don’t want to be an enabler, so I told him we could go to a movie instead.