Showing results for "enabling"

• present participle of enable.

enabling

American  

[en-ey-bling] / ɛnˈeɪ blɪŋ /

adjective

Law.

1. conferring additional legal powers or capacities, especially by removing a barrier to action, suspending required permission, or relaxing oversight: enabling power.

   an enabling act;

   enabling power.

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Etymology

Origin of enabling

First recorded in 1670–80; enable + -ing ²

Explanation

Enabling is a term used for laws that confer legal powers to someone or something. An enabling act makes it possible for authorities to take action. One meaning of the verb enable is "to provide with legal powers," so the adjective formed by adding -ing gets used to describe legislation that has that empowering effect. When new American states were formed out of frontier territories, they could either organize statehood themselves, or they could be admitted into the Union through an "enabling act" of Congress.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

enabling

A film like “Maddie’s Secret” accurately portrays idolization and enabling with as much horror as it should.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

"By enabling heat to be guided, focused and redistributed with nanoscale precision at room temperature, the discovery establishes a foundation for quantum thermal engineering."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

They said it was no longer a question of "whether generative viral genome design will exist" but whether it can be used without "enabling serious harm".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Firefighters in Greece on Tuesday were hoping to contain a wildfire on the outskirts of Athens burning for a fifth day, with easing winds enabling the use of vital aircraft.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

By enabling farmers to generate food surpluses, food production permitted farming societies to support full-time craft specialists who did not grow their own food and who developed technologies.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• permissive