Meaning & use

disempowered

adjective·Advanced

Last updated

Made to feel or become less powerful, confident, or in control.

See it in a sentence

Years of being talked over at meetings left her feeling disempowered.

The new regulations disempowered local councils by shifting authority to the central government.

A note on using this word

Popularized in social and political discourse from the 1990s onward, often describing groups who have lost agency or voice within a system.

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