disadvantage
Americannoun
-
disadvantages
plural
-
absence or deprivation of advantage or equality.
- Synonyms:
- hindrance, inconvenience, drawback
-
the state or an instance of being in an unfavorable circumstance or condition.
to be at a disadvantage.
-
something that puts one in an unfavorable position or condition.
His bad temper is a disadvantage.
-
injury to interest, reputation, credit, profit, etc.; loss.
Your behavior is a disadvantage to your family's good name.
verb (used with object)
-
disadvantages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disadvantaged,
past participle, past
-
disadvantaging
present participle
noun
-
an unfavourable circumstance, state of affairs, thing, person, etc
-
injury, loss, or detriment
-
an unfavourable condition or situation (esp in the phrase at a disadvantage )
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disadvantagesimple
-
disadvantagessimple
-
have disadvantagedperfect
-
has disadvantagedperfect
-
am disadvantagingprogressive
-
are disadvantagingprogressive
-
is disadvantagingprogressive
-
have been disadvantagingperfect progressive
-
has been disadvantagingperfect progressive
Past
-
disadvantagedsimple
-
had disadvantagedperfect
-
was disadvantagingprogressive
-
were disadvantagingprogressive
-
had been disadvantagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disadvantage
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English disavauntage, from Anglo-French; Old French desavantage; equivalent to dis- 1 + advantage
Explanation
A piece of bad luck or a less favorable position is a disadvantage. If you are trying to run a fifty-yard dash in flip flops when everyone else has on running shoes, you'll be at a disadvantage. It's harder to be successful when you start with a disadvantage. One kind of disadvantage is being born into a poor family — it's a struggle for a child in poverty to do well in school, attend college, or end up with a well-paying job. A disadvantage is the opposite of an advantage, a lucky or favorable circumstance. At the root of both words is the Old French avant, "at the front."
Vocabulary lists containing disadvantage
STAAR Grade 6 Reading: Informational Text
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Lesson 1
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Week 5: New Technology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The U.S. competes at a disadvantage because it has no federal film and TV incentives, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Volkswagen Chief Executive Oliver Blume said the automaker has a 20% cost disadvantage to peers in functions supporting its core operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The station groups say the ability of tech companies such as Google and Netflix to reach every consumer in the U.S. puts them at a disadvantage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The tribunal found that requiring her to work a fully flexible seven-day rota placed her at a particular disadvantage because of her childcare responsibilities.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The compartments had the disadvantage of being underground, the clothing was identical, and the food was relatively tasteless, but for the refugees of 12, these were minor considerations.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Rather than carefully comparing the advantages and disadvantages of every available option, people may rely on memories of what they chose previously.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
Even with Europe’s disadvantages, experts said the region still has a solid foundation in biopharma and other industries such as engineering.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
It said the school leaned on how applicants answered “hardship” questions — which ask students how they overcame disadvantages — as a proxy for race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Critics argue that it disadvantages Wales and the English regions by channelling investment to the south east of England.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Yet for the average person, the disadvantages probably outweighed the advantages.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
In Gamper's view, women should not be financially disadvantaged because of their anatomy or because they need cubicles for safety reasons, for example.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Cambridge said his hiring would help address underrepresentation of people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Only 38 schools in the highest category for disadvantaged pupils hit the swimming target.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
A spokesperson for the DfE said a new PE Partnership Network would help close the gap seen by disadvantaged children.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Here’s what some of the other characters in this story have been up to since 2000: My mother retired from her job with a foundation for disadvantaged children, where she managed communications for grantees.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
A unit of SpaceX is suing Apple for disadvantaging its AI app, and the company is now prototyping its own smartphone-like AI device.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
He also argued that ranking applicants by SAT scores ends up disadvantaging high-achieving low-income, first-generation and underrepresented minorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
Impetus director Steve Haines said: "We are concerned that the unintended consequence of this important intervention could end up disadvantaging the children who need it the most."
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2024
Also, many state guidelines were designed decades ago to benefit victims who would make the best witnesses, disadvantaging people with criminal histories, among others.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2023
Under the planned British law, the CMA will be able to tailor rules for tech companies that meet it threshold to stop them unfairly disadvantaging smaller businesses and consumers.
From Reuters ● Apr. 24, 2023
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
