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

• injustice
• wrong
• offence

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 to paint them as one-dimensionally focused on defending would be a disservice to a side that finished as the third-highest scorers last season. —Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2025

Washington suggested Jones handling of the Parsons situation was ultimately a disservice to the team's fans. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025

But bad-faith arguments that ignore Hamas’s sabotage and Israel’s attempts to mitigate the crisis do a disservice to truth and to the people of Gaza. —Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025

Dismantling this independent, bipartisan agency—as Trump seeks—is a dire disservice. —Mandy Taheri jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025

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