empowerment
noun
em·pow·er·ment
im-ˈpau̇(-ə)r-mənt
plural empowerments
1
: the act or action of empowering someone or something : the granting of the power, right, or authority to perform various acts or duties
Malcolm X, the eloquent spokesman for black empowerment who, in 1965, was gunned down at the age of 39 in New York city, continues to influence the political, social, and cultural climate of our society.—Joe Wood
Therefore, part of the cure for poverty was empowerment—training the residents of a poor neighborhood to organize themselves and learn to get things from the power structure.—Nicholas Lemann
2
: the state of being empowered to do something : the power, right, or authority to do something
Education does not automatically result in women's empowerment, as the social and economic context in which women live can pose overwhelming constraints on their choices.—Erin Murphy-Graham
The focus on getting a candidate elected is a way for voters wary of broken promises to gain a sense of empowerment.—John Dutton
Amid the uproar, he and his fellow students felt a budding—and maybe false—sense of empowerment.—James Graff
Like John Lennon, he brought the idea that through music, empowerment and words, you can really come up with world peace.—Wyclef Jean
Cite this Entry
“Empowerment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empowerment. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.
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