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.
In your world, you don’t want obstacles, but in my world, I need those obstacles to get a higher vantage point, to see a deeper purpose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Sazan appealed to the infamously paranoid Hoxha as a vantage point from which he and his associates could look out for any invaders who might come sailing over the Mediterranean to interrupt his rule.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Instead, the documentary homes in on John Paul’s unsavory behavior, approaching the story from Mica’s vantage point.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
A frame exists within a frame, both foursquare and askew, as the great outdoors is experienced from the vantage of the safe indoors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
From my vantage point, I can see Siraj hiding in the bottom.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
