disempower

[dis-em-pou-er]

verb (used with object)

1. to deprive of influence, importance, etc..

   Voters feel they have become disempowered by recent political events.

disempower

/ ˌdɪsɪmˈpaʊə /

verb

1. (tr) to deprive (a person) of power or authority

Other Word Forms

• disempowerment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disempower¹

First recorded in 1805–15; dis- ¹ + empower

Example Sentences

“I choose not to allow circumstances or individuals disempower my spirit,” she added as an emotional Evans added: “If you can say that, if you can really believe that, then there are so many others of us who can feel confident in that as well.”

From Los Angeles Times

Kirk spread a philosophy that liberals sought to disempower men, and some of his male supporters see his killing as an attack against them.

From Los Angeles Times

Anyone trying to keep knowledge from you, whether by banning books, gutting classrooms, denying identities or burying facts, is only trying to disempower you.

From Los Angeles Times

At its worst extreme, the “disempower women” solution takes us into Handmaid’s Tale territory, with women stripped of autonomy and forced into breeder roles.

From Slate

You can push toward private schools, and you can disempower public schools.

From Slate