disservice

noun

dis·​ser·​vice (ˌ)di(s)-ˈsər-vəs 

: ill service : harm

also : an unhelpful, unkind, or harmful act

misinformation that does a disservice to readers

Synonyms of disservice

• injustice
• wrong

Examples of disservice in a Sentence

Her comments were a disservice to those volunteers.

you do a great disservice to the professionals at the day-care center when you refer to them as “babysitters”

Recent Examples on the Web

But at its best, this push to immediately bring back these tests is a disservice to both the mission of our public universities and the remaining classes of kids who lost learning during the pandemic. — Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

So to solely give away to PE without that is a disservice to the families that are coming. — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

So dedicating the space entirely to TV-watching is doing it a disservice, says Lindsey Walsh of Lindsey Walsh Interiors. — Madeline Bilis, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026

But to dismiss any facet of what Barham and American Aquarium are doing as Springsteen derivative is to do a disservice to the unique perspective on life that the group brings to the table. — Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disservice

• preservice
• interservice
• nervous
• nervus

Kids Definition

disservice

noun

dis·​ser·​vice (ˈ)dis-ˈ(s)ər-vəs 

: an unhelpful, unkind, or harmful act

behavior that did a disservice to the sport