disadvantageous

adjective

(ˌ)dis-ˌad-ˌvan-ˈtā-jəs How to pronounce disadvantageous (audio)
Definition of disadvantageousnext
as in unfavorable
opposed to one's interests such an arrangement with the wholesalers would be disadvantageous for small farmers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 disadvantageous Losing the base for more expensive trips could be extra disadvantageous to those companies and local economies. — Leslie Josephs,contessa Brewer, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026 Perhaps, researchers have speculated, genes on the X chromosome don’t transfer well between species, or Neanderthal genetic variants on the X chromosome were disadvantageous in some way to human variants and were therefore gradually eliminated by the evolutionary process of natural selection. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026 Newsom has long opposed state-level wealth taxes, believing such levies would be disadvantageous for the world’s fourth-largest economy. — Michael R. Blood, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026 The arbitrator likely would have the power to compel UCLA to remain at the Rose Bowl, Korobkin said, meaning the Rose Bowl would not be put in a disadvantageous position should the case be moved out of court. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disadvantageous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disadvantageous
  1. unfavorable
  2. adverse
  3. negative
  4. hostile
  5. detrimental
Adjective
  • Good opportunities should create attractive potential upside without placing the organization in a position where one unfavorable outcome becomes catastrophic.
    — Brian Ferdinand, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The vast majority of Democrats — 92% — have an unfavorable option.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfavorable
Adjective
  • The Ukraine international forward last played a competitive match for Chelsea in November 2024, and has been suspended under anti-doping rules after an adverse finding in a urine sample.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, she was given a spate of different medications over a matter of months to treat her symptoms or the adverse reactions to some of the medications.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of adverse
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the club’s short-term assets total just €529m, making for negative working capital of €376m, a €110m worsening on a year earlier.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Systems are designed to handle payment failures using offline card validation, short-term negative balances and grace periods.
    — Miroslav Katsarov, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of negative
Adjective
  • Terrorism wasn’t a completely foreign concept, but the notion of a hostile, coordinated attack on our soil, at that scale, seemed like something that might only happen in a Tom Clancy novel or a summer blockbuster movie.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Now, civil engineer Jishen Qiu and his team wondered if engineers could exploit Mars’s hostile climate, rather than fighting the planet’s extremely low temperature.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of hostile
Adjective
  • Being a tenant may limit priority over game scheduling too, which could be detrimental for potential media rights negotiations.
    — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The wet-dry cycle that works well for other houseplants is detrimental to the Venus flytrap.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of detrimental

Browse Nearby Words

disadvantaged
disadvantageous
disadvantages
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disadvantageous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disadvantageous. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shofar

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All