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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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 researchers say the scale of the demographic collapse has important implications for understanding intergenerational trauma, persistent disadvantage, and the development of policies that better support Indigenous communities.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
You don’t see this being a competitive 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
Michael Sheen has said he thinks being an actor will be a disadvantage while he is on Celebrity Traitors.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Certainly, there is no hint at all of any intellectual disadvantage of New Guineans that could serve to answer Yali’s question.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
The launch of Geely Automobile’s new AI-powered charging technology materially narrows one of Geely’s product disadvantages, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The growth of AI is happening at lightning pace, so what are the advantages and disadvantages of Scotland being at the forefront?
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
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
Mouschi has now proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that having a cat has disadvantages as well as advantages.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
"Disadvantaged children attend disadvantaged schools, located in disadvantaged areas," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Despite investment over the past decade to boost the chances of pupils from these areas, "when you look at the breakdown by school, it's often the most disadvantaged schools that lack resources".
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
She warns that it is the most disadvantaged pupils who could come off worst.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
"We hope this issue can be addressed as soon as possible to ensure passengers are not disadvantaged."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Or should we encourage disadvantaged groups to struggle for equality through collective action?
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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
“What happens is that we put something in place for a minority, but then it ends up helping a majority without disadvantaging anyone.”
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
ANZ's three larger rivals have started considering lending without applying the 3% buffer, saying it is disadvantaging some borrowers.
From Reuters ● Jul. 12, 2023
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
