Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

disservice

American  
[dis-sur-vis] / dɪsˈsɜr vɪs /

noun

  1. harmful or injurious service; an ill turn.

    Synonyms:
    unkindness, injury, harm, hurt, wrong

verb (used with object)

disserviced, disservicing

  1. to provide inadequate or faulty service to.

    Small shippers are most often disserviced by transportation breakdowns.
disservice British  
/ dɪsˈsɜːvɪs /

noun

  1. an ill turn; wrong; injury, esp when trying to help

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • disserviceable adjective
  • self-disservice noun

Etymology

Origin of disservice

First recorded in 1590–1600; dis- 1 + service 1

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.

“It looks like all the content was the same and ubiquitous. It is a disservice to a lot of those books.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Information Minister Mohammed Idris described the allegation, made by the AFP news agency quoting intelligence sources, as "completely false and baseless" and a "disservice to the professionalism and integrity" of the security forces.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Depriving yourself of that joy — especially during a time when there’s already less daylight and more gloom — is simply a disservice to your overall well-being.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

Are teens doing themselves a disservice by rejecting AI, or are they right to be cautious?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

You’re doing the Castros a disservice, particularly Mrs. Castro, who is worrying after her daughter 24-7, in prescribing this under siege, batten down the hatches mentality.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

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.