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Glite Dictionary
⚖️ Losing legal rights 🦽 Making unable
disabling

disabling

7.4
Stopping someone by law from having a right or doing something
  • adjective
  • /dɪsˈeɪblɪŋ/
  • Formal
translation icon : deshabilitante
  • His arrest led to disabling him from running for public office for the next five years.

Examples

  • The new regulations are seen as disabling many small business owners from competing fairly.

  • The decision to revoke her license was a disabling factor in her ability to pursue her career.

  • We we should make it a less disabling world.

Synonyms

to ban
vsdisabling
  • Formal
484 1.4

To officially stop someone from doing something by law or rule

emphasises removing legal rights or formal inability rather than only forbidding acts
to prohibit
vsdisabling
299 3.3

To officially say that something is not allowed by law

is applied to remove legal rights or to make someone officially ineligible
to disqualify
vsdisabling
116 3.7

Make someone not allowed to take part because they broke the rules

is used more widely to remove legal rights beyond event exclusion
to disable
vsdisabling
87 3.5

Make a device or feature stop working

is a legal measure that removes rights rather than physical or functional inability
to inhibit
vsdisabling
30 5.4

Stop or make something less likely to happen

is an official legal removal of rights or formal ineligibility, not general prevention
to disallow
vsdisabling
  • Formal
16 3.9

To refuse to allow something, usually by an official rule

is a legal removal of rights or eligibility rather than a simple refusal
to disfranchise
vsdisabling
  • Formal
1 9.0

To take away someone's right to vote or other legal rights

is broader, covering removal of varied legal rights or official ineligibility

Antonyms

to empower
157 4.2

Give someone the power and confidence to do something

enabling
  • Formal
5.6

To give legal authority to do something

How Disqualifying

disabling
  • Formal
7.4
to suspend
141 3.9
limiting
3 3.5

Surface Forms

disabling positive

Morphology

disabling = disable (semi-transparent) = dis + able + ing

The adjective is a regular participial formation from the verb 'disable'.

Etymology

Disabling comes from the parts dis- meaning 'not' and able meaning 'able'. So in law a 'disabling' rule or conviction makes someone 'not able' to hold a right or office, which is why the word describes being legally prevented from doing something.