empower

Verb

empower (third-person singular simple present empowers, present participle empowering, simple past and past participle empowered)

1. (transitive) To give permission, power, or the legal right to do something.
   • Regulations have been made under the Civil Aviation Acts of 1949, 1980 and 1982 which empower Inspectors of Accidents to do these things.1985, William H. Tench, Safety is no accident
   • Once on site, inspectors are empowered to exercise wide-ranging legal powers - including the right to enter railway property or land adjoining it; to make written, electronic or photographic records; to seize equipment, remove or retain samples; and to be given access to records and recording...2021 December 29, Paul Stephen, “Rail's accident inspectors”, in RAIL, number 947, page 30

   Synonyms:

   allow, let, permit

   Antonyms:

   ban, bar, forbid, prohibit, banish, criminalize, debar, disallow, enjoin, estop

2. (transitive) To give someone more confidence and/or strength to do something, often by enabling them to increase their control over their own life or situation.
   • John found that starting up his own business empowered him greatly in social situations.
   • Musically, what originally attracted me to dance was its shamanist aspects, using natural magic to change people's neurological states and to psychologically empower them.1992, Nick Logan, The Face, page 11-130

   Synonyms:

   inspire

   Antonyms:

   disempower, dishearten, disspirit