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

Naturally, a mixed bag of comments flooded the page, and Schroeder may have done herself a disservice by scanning them all. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

However, defaulting to groupthink does a disservice to everyone by silencing outlier good ideas. — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

That, however, does a disservice to the steel and desire shown by Spain, who are now both European and world champions, and also to the Argentine ability to lock in under pressure and produce when that gets turns up. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026

But remembering Neill, who died on Monday at 78, solely for Jurassic Park does a disservice to his strengths as an actor. — Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 15 July 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