enabler
noun
en·abler
i-ˈnā-b(ə-)lər 
: one that enables another to achieve an end
especially
: one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (such as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by making it possible to avoid the consequences of such behavior
Did you know?
Enabling: The Behavior of an Enabler
Enable has a number of senses, most of which are some variant on allowing someone (or something, such as enabling cookies on a computer) to do something. In the past several decades, enable has also started to take on a new associated sense in the field of addiction studies, where enabling is viewed as giving misguided support to a person with some substance-abuse issue. A person who facilitates the self-destructive behavior of another is referred to as an enabler.
Examples of enabler in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Work/life balance features prominently as an enabler, or as a limiting factor, to well-being – and to happiness.
—
Emma Codd, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The casting is incredible: Byrne is incandescent with pain and anger; Conan O’Brien plays her drolly deadpan therapist and colleague; and A$AP Rocky is her amiable neighbor and drug enabler at the hotel.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 21 July 2025
Advertisement Second, technology is a powerful enabler.
—Frank Diana, Time, 18 July 2025
Her testimony could illuminate the mechanisms of abuse, the enablers and potentially the identities of powerful figures who may have escaped accountability.
—Baltimore Sun, Boston Herald, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for enabler
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Emma Codd, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The casting is incredible: Byrne is incandescent with pain and anger; Conan O’Brien plays her drolly deadpan therapist and colleague; and A$AP Rocky is her amiable neighbor and drug enabler at the hotel.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 21 July 2025
Advertisement Second, technology is a powerful enabler.
—Frank Diana, Time, 18 July 2025
Her testimony could illuminate the mechanisms of abuse, the enablers and potentially the identities of powerful figures who may have escaped accountability.
—Baltimore Sun, Boston Herald, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for enabler
Cite this Entry
“Enabler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enabler. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
enabler
noun
en·abler
i-ˈnā-b(ə-)lər
: one that enables another to achieve an end
especially
: one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by helping that individual avoid the consequences of such behavior
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share