in·con·ve·nience
ˌin-kən-ˈvē-nyən(t)s 
1
: something that is inconvenient
Parking in the city can be an inconvenience.
2
: the quality or state of being inconvenient
I hope the delay doesn't cause you any inconvenience.
in·con·ve·nience
ˌin-kən-ˈvē-nyən(t)s
inconvenienced; inconveniencing
: to cause problems or trouble for : subject to inconvenience
sorry to inconvenience you
Examples of inconvenience in a Sentence
Noun
Needham was sorry to see him go, for although his high-handedness … had caused some inconvenience, his intelligence and courage were of the first water.
—
Simon Winchester, The Man Who Loved China, 2008
Any wish or even longing I might have to see her produced no results; sometimes when she showed up it was actually inconvenient, but frustrated longing and inconvenience both ended the same way …
—Jane Smiley, Good Faith, 2003
Jem knew as well as I that it was difficult to walk fast without stumping a toe, tripping on stones, and other inconveniences, and I was barefooted.
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
I hope this delay doesn't cause you any inconvenience.
Bridge repairs cannot be done without some inconvenience to the public.
Parking in the city can be a major inconvenience.
The delay was an inconvenience.
Verb
… I could count on one of my aunts to insist that she take me to some far-off corner of Nairobi to find the best bargains, no matter how long the trip took or how much it might inconvenience her.
—Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, (1995) 2004
Medieval manuscripts are turgid with abbreviations, which favor the copyist although they inconvenience the reader.
—Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy, (1982) 2002
The work was inconvenienced by the time of year, there being only about three hours of natural light per day, but the pyroclastic spectacle made the darkness photogenic.
—John McPhee, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 1988
I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.
We were inconvenienced by the bad weather.
Simon Winchester, The Man Who Loved China, 2008
Any wish or even longing I might have to see her produced no results; sometimes when she showed up it was actually inconvenient, but frustrated longing and inconvenience both ended the same way …
—Jane Smiley, Good Faith, 2003
Jem knew as well as I that it was difficult to walk fast without stumping a toe, tripping on stones, and other inconveniences, and I was barefooted.
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
I hope this delay doesn't cause you any inconvenience.
Bridge repairs cannot be done without some inconvenience to the public.
Parking in the city can be a major inconvenience.
The delay was an inconvenience.
Verb
… I could count on one of my aunts to insist that she take me to some far-off corner of Nairobi to find the best bargains, no matter how long the trip took or how much it might inconvenience her.
—Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, (1995) 2004
Medieval manuscripts are turgid with abbreviations, which favor the copyist although they inconvenience the reader.
—Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy, (1982) 2002
The work was inconvenienced by the time of year, there being only about three hours of natural light per day, but the pyroclastic spectacle made the darkness photogenic.
—John McPhee, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 1988
I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.
We were inconvenienced by the bad weather.
Recent Examples on the Web
Imran Khalid, Boston Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Tillery also advises her clients to skip overpacking and go with carry-on luggage to avoid unnecessary baggage fees or inconveniences if there are flight changes.
—Essence, 24 Oct. 2025
Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Be patient and calm, Work zones are not there to inconvenience you.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inconvenience
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Noun
The cumulative toll extends beyond inconvenience.
—Imran Khalid, Boston Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Tillery also advises her clients to skip overpacking and go with carry-on luggage to avoid unnecessary baggage fees or inconveniences if there are flight changes.
—Essence, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
The system outage came a day after Amazon Web Services experienced issues of its own and inconvenienced millions of people around the world.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Be patient and calm, Work zones are not there to inconvenience you.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inconvenience
Cite this Entry
“Inconvenience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inconvenience. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inconvenience
1 of 2 noun
in·con·ve·nience
ˌin-kən-ˈvē-nyən(t)s
1
: something that is inconvenient
2
: the quality or state of being inconvenient
inconvenience
2 of 2 verb
inconvenienced; inconveniencing
: to cause discomfort to : put to trouble
inconvenienced by the bad weather
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