noun
agency
The capacity or action of bringing about a result.
The program gives residents real agency in shaping their neighborhood.
Etymology
Agent names one who acts, ultimately from Latin agere, “to do.” Agency turns attention from the doer to the capacity or exercise of action that brings about a result.
More examples
- These seeds spread through the agency of birds and wind.
- She regained a sense of agency after making her own decision.
- Through the mediator's agency, the two sides finally reached agreement.
Similar words
- autonomy
- Emphasizes independence rather than the ability to produce an effect.
- instrumentality
- Emphasizes a means through which an outcome is achieved.