disadvantage

noun

ˌdis-əd-ˈvan-tij How to pronounce disadvantage (audio)
Definition of disadvantagenext
1
as in handicap
a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success their lack of height was a disadvantage on the basketball court

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in expense
the negative result caused by something that creates difficulty for achieving success intense pretrial publicity worked to our disadvantage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of disadvantage Philadelphia started the game at a bit of a disadvantage thanks to their late-season pitching plans. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Despite adding more height and physicality in this summer’s transfer market, Chelsea are still operating at an aerial disadvantage to many of their Premier League opponents. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Disadvantages The main disadvantage of window film is that, unlike blinds or curtains, it’s fixed. — Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 28 Sep. 2026 The return of federal student loan payments this month threatens to derail prospects for graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a cohort already facing steep economic disadvantages. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disadvantage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disadvantage
  1. handicap
  2. expense
  3. drawback
  4. despite
  5. liability
  6. loss
Noun
  • The driver, Manning said, had been working particularly well, so well that the 10-handicap golfer had just broke 80 for the first time.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The 6,970-yard course is challenging but fair and open enough for all handicaps, from the proper tees, to have a good time.
    — Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of handicap
Noun
  • The area might feel a bit buttoned-up and corporate for vacationers, but those in Abu Dhabi for work will be within a stone's throw of some of the city's best power-lunch and expense-account-dinner establishments.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • For example, an advance provisioning allowance is a deposit used to pay variable expenses, including fuel, food, drinks and marina fees, with any unused balance returned.
    — Christoph Lymbersky, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of expense
Noun
  • But that booming population could be a drawback for older Americans looking for quieter quarters.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The drawback is that most Americans must pay out of pocket for the test, which carries a list price north of $900, before factoring in any discounts.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of drawback
Noun
  • Political observers think Talarico could surge to the fore in the primary despite, or perhaps because of, his outsider status.
    — Julia Mueller, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Despite the fact that the age of female winners has been steadily increasing in the last despite, the average female Oscar winner is 39 years old, according to a Sky News 2023 report—almost a decade younger than the average male winner at 47.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2023
Definition of despite
Noun
  • The president and his allies have insisted that existing liability laws offer enough protections.
    — Jeff Masonand Michael Shepard Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • But in many of those races, the president is proving to be a political liability as his his approval dwindles, even among Republicans.
    — Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of liability
Noun
  • The devastating loss of the coast has opened up the path for a change in the Saudis’ intolerance for dissent within the anti-Houthi coalition, however.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The rite symbolizes the deceased's final departure from the world of the living and helps the family come to terms with the loss.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of loss

Browse Nearby Words

disaccustomed
disadvantage
disadvantaged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disadvantage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disadvantage. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of galore

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All