disutility

[dis-yoo-til-i-tee]

noun

1. the quality of causing inconvenience, harm, distress, etc.

disutility

/ ˌdɪsjuːˈtɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. economics Compare utility

   1. the shortcomings of a commodity or activity in satisfying human wants

   2. the degree to which a commodity or activity fails to satisfy human wants

Word History and Origins

Origin of disutility¹

First recorded in 1875–80; dis- ¹ + utility

Example Sentences

The authors use bland economic jargon to describe that quandary: “The disutility of work would have to be very high” to outweigh work’s financial benefits.

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Instead, it’s a sane resistance to work’s insane domination: What if the disutility of work – its boredom, constraint, and physical discomfort – weighs heavier in the balance than productivity?

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In order to get your $50,000 from your human capital, you will have to exercise an effort, which implies disutility, or loss of welfare.

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The second type of exploitation generates disutility for consumers but enables the firm to tap into additional revenue sources.

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The logical conclusion is that Amazon is willing to subsidize consumers in order to exploit their personal information because the additional revenues generated in the process exceed the consumer disutility incurred.

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