disadvantaged

adjective

dis·​ad·​van·​taged ˌdis-əd-ˈvan-tijd 

: lacking in the basic resources or conditions (such as standard housing, medical and educational facilities, and civil rights) believed to be necessary for an equal position in society

disadvantagedness

ˌdis-əd-ˈvan-tijd-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of disadvantaged

• deprived
• impoverished
• depressed
• underprivileged

Examples of disadvantaged in a Sentence

The program provides aid for economically disadvantaged groups.

disadvantaged families struggling to get by will be benefited by changes in the tax code

Recent Examples on the Web

If managers uncritically accept that everything is fair, they may not be attuned to the ways their own views of white women workers, of workers of color, or other disadvantaged groups could be shaped by structural and interpersonal factors. —Adia Harvey Wingfield, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

Clemency and leniency can be virtues, but only when the offender has shown a willingness to change or is part of some disadvantaged group. —David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 18 May 2026

This was doubly true for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who hoped to use their educational credentials to catapult themselves up the class ladder. —Literary Hub, 15 May 2026

The film — set amid Ireland’s care system — has remarkable, and coincidental, parallels with Keoghan’s own upbringing as a foster kid from one of Dublin’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 12 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing disadvantaged

• the disadvantaged

Rhymes for disadvantaged

• advantaged