empowerment
Britishnoun
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the giving or delegation of power or authority; authorization
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the giving of an ability; enablement or permission
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(in South Africa) a policy of providing special opportunities in employment, training, etc for Black people and others disadvantaged under apartheid
Explanation
Empowerment is the power granted by one person or institution to another. The government can grant empowerment to a department to effect change, or a person can grant empowerment to her lawyer to sign contracts on her behalf. In the US of the 1950s and 60s, there were a number of groups that sought empowerment against oppression. Some of these included the Civil Rights Movement, led by a number of powerful members including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During this period, César Chávez worked for the rights of Latinos and farm workers. There were a number of other empowerment movements as well, each working to gain power for an oppressed group.
Vocabulary lists containing empowerment
President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
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Peace Corps Lingo
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Where Wolves Don't Die
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I have come to love talking about it in the context of women’s empowerment, finding ways to embrace their own integral agency.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Additional risks of the ban include pushing young people into less-regulated online spaces, reducing their news consumption and their political empowerment, he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“For me, it was about these empowerment sessions. But somebody reminded me, ‘You know, people like to have fun too,’” Sue chuckled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Expect games, clowning and catharsis that transform helplessness into empowerment and isolation into belonging.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Educators love to talk empowerment, but few seem to grasp what it means.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
