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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Lesson 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Week 5: New Technology
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Retailers without the capital to invest heavily through a long period of troubleshooting are at a disadvantage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
This could be a disadvantage for Apple and something that limits the potential of its Siri voice assistant, Mohan argued.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Researchers found comparable declines in the associations involving premature birth and several measures of socioeconomic disadvantage.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
Carney needs to "think hard about his next move," Fagan argued, and ensure any new countermeasures are chosen strategically while recognizing Canada "is always going to be at a disadvantage."
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
The other is that wintering at a relatively northern latitude has advantages that make up for the disadvantage of its coldness.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
But financial advisers are starting to be more honest about owning’s disadvantages too.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
"Despite tip-fatigue, I do not think tipping is going to be eliminated on widescale anytime soon because the economic disadvantages of eliminating tipping outweigh the advantages," says Lynn.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
In theory, natural selection might be expected to gradually remove traits that produce such disadvantages.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
But as the switch from OpenAI to Gemini illustrates, there are also disadvantages to its less-than-absolute commitment to AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Aureliano understood the disadvantages of being in the opposition.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Parents and teachers said consumer AI chatbots were fully unblocked for children on their school-issued devices starting last fall in the district, which serves mostly economically disadvantaged students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Isba says children are disadvantaged when it comes to accessing services.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Much of her career was spent supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds and encouraging them to believe in their own potential.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
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
I wrote: ‘I cannot claim to represent socially disadvantaged Mexican-Americans. The very fact that I am in a position to apply for this job should make that clear.’
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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
A Stellantis spokeswoman noted that the company has said it wants an agreement “that fairly rewards our workforce for their contribution to our success, without significantly disadvantaging Stellantis against our nonunion competitors.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
"The Government's aerospace strategy will make sure that regulations remain fit for purpose, and advanced aviation technology is integrated into transport networks without disadvantaging those who use the airspace."
From Reuters ● Sep. 5, 2022
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.
