disempower

/ˌdɪs.ɪmˈpaʊər/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdɪs.ɪmˈpaʊ.ɚ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌdis-im-ˈpau̇(-ə)r/ (ame, mw)

disempower — verb

  • disempowerpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • disempowers3rd person singular
  • disempowering-ing form
  • disempoweredpast simple

1. to leave a person or group feeling that they have lost control over their own ch

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to leave a person or group feeling that they have lost control over their own choices, voice, or position, often by removing their authority, resources, or chance to be heard.

例句

The new boss disempowered the nurses by cancelling every meeting where they could raise concerns.

disempower + [people] by [removing means of voice]

Rachel said the rigid school rules disempowered students who wanted a say in lunch options.

passive sense: rules / systems as the disempowering agent

同義詞
  • marginalise

    push to the edge of a group's decisions; weaker focus on lost authority, stronger focus on lost visibility

  • silence

    narrower — specifically about taking away someone's voice, not their wider agency

  • subjugate

    much stronger; implies forceful, often political domination

反義詞
  • empower

    direct opposite: give someone the confidence or authority to act

  • enable

    weaker — make something possible, without the agency-restoring nuance of 'empower'

文法句型

disempower + [person/group]

用法筆記

Subject is typically a system, institution, rule, or person in power; object is the people whose agency is reduced. Frequently followed by 'by + V-ing' (the mechanism) or 'from + V-ing' (the action they can no longer perform).

常見錯誤

❌The manager disempowered the project last week.
✅The manager disempowered the team last week.
💡'disempower' takes a person or group as its object, not a thing or activity.
❌Yuna felt very disempower after the meeting.
✅Yuna felt very disempowered after the meeting.
💡use the past participle 'disempowered' as the adjective form; the bare verb cannot follow 'felt'.