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disadvantageous

adjective

dis·​ad·​van·​ta·​geous (ˌ)dis-ˌad-ˌvan-ˈtā-jəs How to pronounce disadvantageous (audio)
-vən-
1
: constituting a disadvantage
2
disadvantageously adverb
disadvantageousness noun

Examples of disadvantageous in a Sentence

They might have to resell the property at a disadvantageous time. Minority groups find themselves in a disadvantageous position. The current system is disadvantageous to women.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Earth’s climate is now much warmer and wetter than the climate of the Pleistocene epoch, which would probably make the thick fur and fat layers of the woolly mammoth disadvantageous adaptations. JSTOR Daily, 13 Nov. 2025 Moving such a lawsuit to South Korea from the United States could be disadvantageous for families because the amount of compensation in any judgment or settlement would most likely be lower. New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025 This suggests that snow leopards have purged bad mutations within their population periodically over time, which eliminated potential disadvantageous impacts from historic inbreeding and allowed populations to remain healthy despite small numbers, according to the paper. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025 Time and time again in the second half, Denver’s defense stepped up when put in disadvantageous field positions, with several of the Broncos’ six sacks coming in clutch moments. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disadvantageous

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disadvantageous was in 1603

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Cite this Entry

“Disadvantageous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disadvantageous. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

disadvantageous

adjective
dis·​ad·​van·​ta·​geous (ˌ)dis-ˌad-ˌvan-ˈtā-jəs How to pronounce disadvantageous (audio)
-vən-
: making it harder for a person to succeed or do something
in a disadvantageous position
disadvantageously adverb
disadvantageousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on disadvantageous

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