enabling

[en-ey-bling]

See more synonyms for enabling on Thesaurus.com

adjective Law.

conferring new legal powers or capacities, especially by removing a disability; having the right to license or regulate: an enabling act; enabling power.

Origin of enabling

First recorded in 1670–80; enable + -ing²

enable

[en-ey-buh l]

verb (used with object), en·a·bled, en·a·bling.

to make able; give power, means, competence, or ability to; authorize: This document will enable him to pass through the enemy lines unmolested.
to make possible or easy: Aeronautics enables us to overcome great distances.
to make ready; equip (often used in combination): web-enabled cell phones.

Origin of enable

Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at en-¹, able

Related formsen·a·bler, nounpre·en·a·ble, verb (used with object), pre·en·a·bled, pre·en·a·bling.

Synonyms

See more synonyms for enable on Thesaurus.com

1. empower, qualify, allow, permit.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for enabling

Contemporary Examples

Marrying yourself merely underscores selfishness and self-interest, rather than enabling you to live singly in the best way.
Why Singles Should Say ‘I Don’t’ to The Self-Marriage Movement
Tim Teeman
December 30, 2014
They pioneered arena performances and electric light, enabling the first night performances.
We’re All Carnies Now: Why We Can’t Quit the Circus
Anthony Paletta
November 27, 2014
The plan is to build a holistic cloud operating system for businesses and individuals, enabling a new generation of work and play.
Bill Gates’ Internet Doomsday Prophesy Comes True
Kyle Chayka
July 17, 2014
Yet critics of the right to be forgotten argue that by removing Google search results, the law is enabling censorship.
Should We Have the Right to Be Forgotten Online?
Kyle Chayka
July 15, 2014
This is what the larger Washington establishment has become: The enabling spouse of the drunk.
When Conservatives Cry Wolf
Michael Tomasky
February 10, 2014

Historical Examples

About five it returned, gentle enough, enabling us to head for the roadstead.
The Shadow-Line
Joseph Conrad
How ungrateful of him, when you have been the means of enabling him to kick me out of the Sixth.
Follow My leader
Talbot Baines Reed
Only then will they be able to make strong and enabling commitments.
Herein is Love
Reuel L. Howe
These had been useful, in enabling them to keep a straight course.
At the Point of the Bayonet
G. A. Henty
How grateful ought we to be to France for enabling you to do it.
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. VIII
Various

British Dictionary definitions for enabling

enable

verb (tr)

to provide (someone) with adequate power, means, opportunity, or authority (to do something)
to make possible
to put (a digital electronic circuit element) into an operative condition by supplying a suitable input pulse

Derived Formsenablement, nounenabler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for enabling

enable

v.

early 15c., "to make fit;" mid-15c., "to make able to," from en- (1) "make, put in" + able. Related: Enabled; enabling.

enabling

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}enabling

enable

Origin of enable

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for enabling

Contemporary Examples

Marrying yourself merely underscores selfishness and self-interest, rather than enabling you to live singly in the best way.

They pioneered arena performances and electric light, enabling the first night performances.

The plan is to build a holistic cloud operating system for businesses and individuals, enabling a new generation of work and play.

Yet critics of the right to be forgotten argue that by removing Google search results, the law is enabling censorship.

This is what the larger Washington establishment has become: The enabling spouse of the drunk.

Historical Examples

About five it returned, gentle enough, enabling us to head for the roadstead.

How ungrateful of him, when you have been the means of enabling him to kick me out of the Sixth.

Only then will they be able to make strong and enabling commitments.

These had been useful, in enabling them to keep a straight course.

How grateful ought we to be to France for enabling you to do it.

enable

Word Origin and History for enabling

enable

v.

Origin of enabling