disadvantage
Americannoun
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absence or deprivation of advantage or equality.
- Synonyms:
- hindrance, inconvenience, drawback
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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)
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
Etymology
Origin of disadvantage
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English disavauntage, from Anglo-French; Old French desavantage; equivalent to dis- 1 + advantage
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.
"The biggest competitive disadvantage right now is energy prices," said Reiche.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
Jefferies doesn’t expect the government to reinstate the tax, citing last year’s Oilfields Development Bill, which stipulates that petroleum lease terms should remain stable and not be altered to the disadvantage of the lessee.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Bores’s bar gathering in Manhattan drew a crowd of college students and recent graduates who expressed concern about AI wiping out entry-level jobs and putting their generation at a disadvantage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
The companies say they are at a disadvantage in competing with tech companies by being limited to owning stations in 39% of the U.S., a cap that was set in 2003.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
But pity stayed him, and though he kept the ring, in which his only hope lay, he would not use it to help him kill the wretched creature at a disadvantage.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
