Standard Lemma guide

disadvantage

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: dĭs'əd-vän'tĭj
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌdɪsədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: dĭs'əd-văn'tĭj
  • General-American: /ˌdɪsədˈvæntɪd͡ʒ/
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH2 S AH0 D V AE1 N T IH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: D IH2 S AH0 D V AE1 N IH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A weakness or undesirable characteristic; con; drawback.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The disadvantage to owning a food processor is that you have to store it somewhere.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A setback or handicap.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • My height is a disadvantage for reaching high shelves.
  • 1859-1890, John G. Palfrey, History of New England to the Revolutionary War Abandoned by their great patron, the faction henceforward acted at disadvantage.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Loss; detriment; hindrance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To place at a disadvantage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • They fear it might disadvantage honest participants to allow automated entries.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the quality of having an inferior or less favorable position

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: advantage

Broader terms: liability

Narrower terms: unfavorableness, unfavourableness, limitation, defect, shortcoming, awkwardness, nuisance value, loss, deprivation, drawback, penalty, inferiority, unfavorable position, inexpedience, inexpediency, unprofitableness, unprofitability

6

verb

Meaning 6

put at a disadvantage; hinder, harm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This rule clearly disadvantages me

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disfavor, disfavour

Antonyms: advantage

Broader terms: discriminate, separate, single out

Narrower terms: handicap, hinder, hamper, prejudice

History

Etymology

From Middle English disavauntage, from Old French desavantage.

Across languages

Translations

67 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سَيِّئَة (sayyiʔa) — weakness
  • Asturian: desventaya — weakness
  • Belarusian: нявы́гаднае стано́вішча (njavýhadnaje stanóvišča) — weakness
  • Bulgarian: недостатък (nedostatǎk) — weakness
  • Catalan: desavantatge — weakness
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不利 (bùlì) — weakness
  • Czech: nevýhoda — weakness
  • Danish: ulempe — weakness
  • Dutch: nadeel — weakness
  • Faroese: vansi — weakness
  • Finnish: haitta — weakness
  • Finnish: varjopuoli — weakness
  • Finnish: haittapuoli — weakness
  • French: désavantage — weakness
  • Galician: desvantaxe — weakness
  • German: Nachteil — weakness
  • Greek: μειονέκτημα (meionéktima) — weakness
  • Hebrew: חיסרון (khisaron) — weakness
  • Hungarian: hátrány — weakness
  • Irish: míbhuntáiste — weakness
  • Italian: svantaggio — weakness
  • Japanese: 不利 (furi) — weakness
  • Korean: 불리 (bulli) — weakness
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ulempe — weakness
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ulempe — weakness
  • Polish: niekorzyść — weakness
  • Portuguese: desvantagem — weakness
  • Romanian: dezavantaj — weakness
  • Russian: невы́годное положе́ние (nevýgodnoje položénije) — weakness
  • Scottish Gaelic: ana-cothrom — weakness
  • Spanish: desventaja — weakness
  • Swedish: nackdel — weakness
  • Turkish: dezavantaj — weakness
  • Vietnamese: sự bất lợi — weakness
  • Armenian: թերություն (tʻerutʻyun) — setback or handicap
  • Asturian: desventaya — setback or handicap
  • Bulgarian: неизгодно положение (neizgodno položenie) — setback or handicap
  • Catalan: desavantatge — setback or handicap
  • Czech: nevýhoda — setback or handicap
  • Danish: ulempe — setback or handicap
  • Finnish: haitta — setback or handicap
  • Finnish: varjopuoli — setback or handicap
  • Finnish: haittapuoli — setback or handicap
  • French: désavantage — setback or handicap
  • Galician: desvantaxe — setback or handicap
  • Hebrew: חיסרון (khisaron) — setback or handicap
  • Hungarian: hátrány — setback or handicap
  • Irish: míbhuntáiste — setback or handicap
  • Italian: svantaggio — setback or handicap
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ulempe — setback or handicap
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ulempe — setback or handicap
  • Polish: wada — setback or handicap
  • Portuguese: desvantagem — setback or handicap
  • Romanian: dezavantaj — setback or handicap
  • Russian: неудо́бство (neudóbstvo) — setback or handicap
  • Scottish Gaelic: ana-cothrom — setback or handicap
  • Spanish: desventaja — setback or handicap
  • Turkish: dezavantaj — setback or handicap
  • Vietnamese: thế bất lợi — setback or handicap
  • Armenian: վնաս (vnas) — loss; detriment; hindrance
  • Bulgarian: пречка (prečka) — loss; detriment; hindrance
  • Bulgarian: неудобство (neudobstvo) — loss; detriment; hindrance
  • Russian: поме́ха (poméxa) — loss; detriment; hindrance
  • Russian: затрудне́ние (zatrudnénije) — loss; detriment; hindrance
  • Russian: препя́тствие (prepjátstvije) — loss; detriment; hindrance
  • Vietnamese: sự thiệt hại — loss; detriment; hindrance
  • Vietnamese: mối tổn thất — loss; detriment; hindrance
Real reading context

disadvantage in complete knowledge articles