noun
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a state, position, or opportunity affording superiority or advantage
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superiority or benefit accruing from such a position, state, etc
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tennis short for advantage
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vantage
1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, aphetic variant of avantage advantage
Explanation
A vantage is a really good place from which to survey a scene. You might find that the roof of the house offers an excellent vantage from which to drop water balloons on your kid brother’s head. Vantage is a variation of advantage, but when we use vantage we’re almost always talking about a position, not just general superiority. If you had extra tutoring for a big exam, you would have the advantage over a classmate who didn’t. But if your seat for the test allowed you to see the answer sheet lying on the desk, well then you would have a superior vantage — not that you would take advantage of that, of course!
Vocabulary lists containing vantage
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "V"
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Legend
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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.
It’s both fact and fiction, and the meaning changes depending on your vantage point.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
The bombing of LaGuardia came at a time when airport security was, from today’s vantage, unimaginably lax.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
From my vantage point, parts of the book rang true, but others did not.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
The piece works from two vantage points: from afar — visible from a lot of central Paris — and also from inside it, in the “cave” part.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
I found a vantage point behind a bush, set down my milk, crouched, and waited.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
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.
